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Don't Quit

Don't Quit

Words of Faith 7-15-19

Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2019

Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com

Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL

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Galatians 6

     [9] Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  

 

       One of the fundamental truths of sowing and reaping is that it takes time!  Sowing the Word into the lives of people may require considerable patience to see the harvest of God.  Doing good for those God is calling often will not yield an immediate result.  Jesus pointed out that in the physical world, about four months elapse between planting and harvest (John 4:35).  We may see spiritual come sooner, but results may also take much longer.

       Have you noticed that some people that we witness to, pray for, and care for respond so immediately that we are thrilled!  At such times we recognize that God has been working on them for a long time.  But there are others we may witness to and pray over for many years with what seems to be a dismal failure.  The truth of the Kingdom is that the harvest may often take longer.  The harvest cannot be rushed.  The fruit of God's Spirit called patience is especially necessary. So Paul instructed: Do not grow weary and do not give up. 

       Now, wait a minute, Paul.  How can I not grow weary?  There are times when I am just flat worn out with the work of the Kingdom.  Some situations absolutely drain me.  How can I just not grow weary? 

       Actually, the word that Paul used here does not refer to our physical exhaustion or even our mental and emotional weariness.  Nor was he talking about the wonderful weariness that comes at the end of a great mission trip or a week of youth camp.  There is a wonderful weariness that we rejoice in as we fall asleep!  Paul was talking about something entirely different.

       The Greek here describes weariness to the point that turns "bad.”  Weariness that turns bad is that exhaustion that we allow to turn us sour.  It is a weariness mixed with unfulfilled expectations and a sense of failure that turns sour in us.  Paul might well have said-- Don't be soured by those situations that require a long time of waiting. 

      Today, Paul might use the phrase, “Don't burn out on doing good.”  Burnout is a term used to describe long-term exhaustion and diminished interest among teachers, coaches, healthcare professionals, and other high-stress vocations.  Spiritual burnout is the soured exhaustion one experiences when we determine that somehow our endeavors for the Kingdom are bearing no fruit or have failed.

       So how do we avoid Spiritual burnout?  How do we resist the temptation to give in to Spiritual weariness to the point of sourness?

       First, we must recognize that the harvest is the Lord's and at the proper time we will reap that harvest.  God is the Lord of the harvest.  He will determine the timing and nature of the harvest in the right season.  But Jesus was clear: Keep your eyes open upon the fields for they are ripening (John 4:35).  The harvest is the Lord's.  He is responsible for it.  We are only accountable to be obedient in sowing.

       Second, surrender to the Spirit in times of weariness.  We often find we are at the end of ourselves in our efforts to care for others, give financial help, or emotional support.  It is at this place, the end of ourselves, where we truly discover the Spirit of God.  The fruit of the Spirit is God's burnout fighter.  When we are weary, He provides love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).  We need to recharge spiritually by drawing near to God.  Even Jesus withdrew from the crowds to be with the Father. 

       Finally, don't quit. It may sound simple, but just don't quit.  Paul says that if we do not quit, we will see the harvest.  It is coming.  Quitting is always our choice.  We will be physically weary.  We will be emotionally drained.  We will need to recharge.  We will need strength beyond ourselves.  But we also can choose not to quit.  We need not be soured.  We can choose not to give up even when sowing good becomes difficult or discouraging. 

       If there is anything to be learned in the life of ministry, it is this fundamental truth-- Don't grow weary in the sowing of the Word and Life into people.  In the proper time, it will reap a harvest if we do not give up.  

 

       Father God, I trust You for the harvest of Your Kingdom.  Recharge me.  Fill me with Your Spirit and manifest the fruit of Your Spirit in me.  Give me the resources to keep sowing good into those around me even when I am weary.  Give me the grace to continue on with my eyes upon the field waiting for the harvest.  Give me the strength to not quit.  In Jesus' Name.

 

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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, and our website, and our church app, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.  

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