Keep Up the Good Work - iBelieve Truth - January 8, 2024
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” – Galatians 6:9-10 (NIV)
We all need encouragement to keep up the good work we’re doing. No matter how much we know that hard work is important – especially as we work to fulfill God’s purposes – we’re bound to encounter some stress, fatigue, and challenges. It’s at those times, when we feel like giving up, that we need the Bible’s reminder that we will see good results from our work if we keep doing good.
People in colonial America were among the hardest-working people in history. Recently, I visited Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia to learn how the colonists found inspiration and motivation for their hard work. Colonial Williamsburg is a living museum, featuring actors who bring history to life in the city, which played a vital role in the United States’ development. Many people who lived there during the 1600s and 1700s had strong faith. They saw their work as part of living faithfully in relationships with Jesus. So, they often said “yes” to God’s assignments for them. As a result, they helped build a new nation based on biblical principles like freedom for all. They accomplished that while working hard every day and night simply to survive in the new world – building their own homes, growing their own food, working constantly on household chores, and practicing their trades diligently.
What good work are you doing in your own life? Whenever you need encouragement to keep up that good work, you can pray. Ask God to reach out to you, so you notice God’s presence with you while you work. Ask for the ability to renew your focus on the important goals you’re working to achieve. Ask for the motivation you need to help others in need. Ask for the faith you need to trust that God will bring about good results from your work.
In Galatians 6:9-10, God exhorts us to persevere while we work hard. Why? Because there is a promise woven into the fabric of these verses – God’s promise of a bountiful harvest that will happen if we remain steadfast in doing good.
We can find the inspiration we need to keep working hard by looking for the wonder of God at work in our lives. It’s easy to become consumed by the challenges of our work. However, when we pay attention to God’s work around us, we can see how God’s power is working through us, empowering us to work well. God will give us opportunities to do good work. The more we recognize God bringing us those opportunities, the more we can act on them.
Along the way, it’s important to trust in God’s timing. The harvest from our work may not happen when we would like to see it, but it will happen on a timetable orchestrated by God, who sees the bigger picture. In the moments when weariness creeps in and the fruits of our labor seem elusive, it helps to remember that God’s timing is perfect.
It’s also important to seek opportunities to do good to all people, emphasizing inclusivity and love for our neighbors. In a fallen world full of division and conflict, our acts of kindness can serve as beacons of God’s love, breaking down barriers and shining light into the darkness of people’s lives.
Our work for God is never in vain, as 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 reminds us: “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
As we face the challenges of working, let’s remember the Bible’s encouragement that it will lead to good results. Keep up the good work and look forward to what God will do because of it!
Dear God, I’m grateful for the wonder of your work through me as I do the good work you’ve called me to do. In moments of weariness, please give me the strength and endurance to continue doing good, knowing that my efforts are not in vain. Help me to embrace opportunities to extend kindness to all people, reflecting your boundless love through my actions. As I deal with the stresses of each day, open my eyes to see the wonder of your work around me. May I find inspiration from you regularly while I work. Please renew my spirit and refuel my passion for doing good. Use me as an instrument of your good purposes in a world that desperately needs it. Thank you, God. Amen.
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If you've been feeling tired, overwhelmed, depleted, or just quietly wondering where God is in the middle of a very full life — this episode is for you. And honestly? It might be for me too, because I'm recording this in one of those seasons myself.
Today we're doing something a little different. Instead of going deep in a passage, we're talking about what to do when deep feels like too much — when you need less, not more. Specifically, I'm walking you through one of my favorite practices for weary seasons: handwriting scripture.
Not typing it. Not scrolling past it. Actually writing it out, slowly, in your own hand — because something happens in your brain when you do that. The words land differently. They go deeper. And over time, they become part of that personal library of God's voice that the Holy Spirit can pull from when you need it most. That's what Psalm 119:11 means when it says I have hidden your word in my heart — it's scripture moving into your long-term memory, where it lives and stays even when you haven't opened your Bible in weeks.
I'm sharing the five verses I wrote out for myself today — and why each one hit me fresh even though I've known some of them for years. This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to follow the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
