Galatians 6:6-10
Since we are going to jump into Paul’s letter to the Galatians at a point where he is bringing it to a close, I want to take a moment and tie the letter together for you with a brief overview.
In the first two chapters of the book, Paul is primarily concerned with defending his apostleship against the detractors that had called his ministry and message into question. Then, in the middle two chapters, he addresses the problems of mixing law and grace. Salvation was made possible by the death of Jesus Christ and the law is totally insufficient to justify a sinner. Seeing that faith has set the Galatians free from ritual observances, ceremonies and curses of the law, Paul asks why they would want to be put back under them. Finally, in the closing two chapters, he offers a warning about using Christian liberty as a license to sin. He explains that dependence on God and a daily walk with Him will produce in them the fruits of righteousness, all of which the law could never do on their behalf.
Having addressed these central issues, Paul closes with some general instructions and a final comparison of himself with the false teachers. It’s in these closing words of his general instructions that we want to focus our attention.
Because Paul’s concern was with false teachers that were promulgating error among the Galatians, he encouraged the believers to support those that were proclaiming the truth (Galatians 6:6-10). This is not an isolated instruction as Paul also spoke of it in other passages. (Ex. 1 Corinthians 9:5-23; 1 Timothy 5:17-18). He wanted them to understand that it was right to care for the needs of those that preached the truth to them and taught them the ways of God.
In other words, Paul’s instruction to “sow to the Spirit” and not “to his flesh” is first about using our resources in a fashion that demonstrates our primary interest in eternal things and those that bring these eternal truths to us. He challenges them to persevere and not quit providing for these faithful messengers, even if they have to wait until the Judgment Seat of Christ before realizing all the benefits of using their resources in this way.
However, this passage can also extend beyond just our financial resources invested in the work of God. These words of encouragement also include a general principle about ALL the “good” we are doing in the service of our Lord.
I think it is probably true for most of us, at times, to wonder if our efforts are really making an eternal difference. The larger question of this passage about “doing good” concerns our sowing spiritual seeds of faithful service that will eventually reap a harvest. It is a challenge to a relentless, tenacious and persevering spirit that refuses to quit, even when there are no immediate evidences that our faithfulness is producing results.
To be “weary” (6:9) has to do with being utterly spiritless and exhausted to the point of quitting. The Greek word is used six times in the New Testament and is translated as “lose heart” four times (Luke 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 16; Ephesians 3:13) and twice as “grow weary” (Galatians 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13).
The weariness here described is of the type that leads to our abandoning tasks we have been given or called to do. One Lexicographer writes, “One’s perseverance must not weaken in service...since the harvest will result from our doggedness; a relaxation of effort would be disastrous.” (Spicq, C., & Ernest, J. D. [1994]. Theological lexicon of the New Testament [Vol. 1, p. 399]. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.)
In other words, what God wants from us is a relentless perseverance and a refusal to quit in our service of sowing spiritual seeds of service to God. The reason for such perseverance is because He knows we will eventually reap the benefits, if we don’t "lose heart" first.
Some scholars believe that Paul was including himself in this word of encouragement because he uses the first person plural in 6:9, which seems to indicate that he was one of those that needed this word from God. In light of the fact that he had expended so much effort on the churches of Galatia, it is likely that he also needed this reminder not to quit since his efforts would prove worthwhile in the end.
There are at least six common things that can potentially “weary” us in the work God has given us do. Let’s consider each of them and find encouragement to not “lose heart” while awaiting the rewards/results we desire from our labors.
Physical Exhaustion
The first of these is pretty easy to understand...physical exhaustion. There is an old Greek proverb that says, “You will break the bow if you keep it always bent.” It was Vince Lombardi, the former coach of the Green Bay Packers that said, “Fatigue makes cowards of us all.” (David Rooper, A Beacon in the Darkness, P. 163) Sometimes we just go on working without enough rest and in the process become physically weary in the work we are doing.
The prophet Elijah is an example of someone that became physically exhausted in his service to God and lost heart for a time. He had long been public enemy #1 because of his confrontations with his own people, as well as the prophets of Baal over their idolatry. There was the ongoing battle he had with the evil King Ahab and Jezebel that must have been emotionally exhausting. Then there was the epic battle on Mount Carmel when he called down fire from Heaven, thus proving that Jehovah was the only true God.
Following that event, Elijah ran about 25 miles from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel. He then went another 100 miles or so from Jezreel to Beersheba and then travelled an additional 15 to 20 miles out into the wilderness. Altogether, Elijah travelled about 130 to 150 miles in a short amount of time and was no doubt physically and emotionally spent.
It’s interesting what God does for him before recommissioning him to His service (1 Kings 19:1-8). Immediately after all of the events on Mt. Carmel, the threats of Jezebel and the long distance he travelled, God allowed Elijah to sleep.
Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is SLEEP because physical exhaustion can cause us to grow “weary” in the service of our God. If that’s your situation today, then by all means, block off some time to give your body and mind some rest.
Inferiority Feelings
There is also the matter of inferiority feelings that can contribute to a person becoming “weary in doing good.” I don’t think very many of us think we are capable in ourselves of handling all that God has called us to do. It’s not unusual to feel as though someone else has better skills and can do a better job than us. Our tendency is to look around and see other people that we feel are far more capable than we are to do a particular job (cf. 2 Corinthians 10:12).
Actually, those feelings of insufficiency can be positive, if we allow them to make us more dependent on God! Nothing can more quickly destroy what you are doing than thinking you are capable in yourself of doing His work in your own strength.
Moses battled with feeling of inferiority when God called him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. He kept making excuses why he couldn’t fulfill the calling of God on his life, but it all basically boiled down to his own sense of insufficiency. Moses had been raised in Egypt, had attended the best schools of his day, and would have been well-trained in many areas of leadership. In spite of all this, he didn’t feel he was a good speaker or qualified to go before the Pharaoh of Egypt. Consequently, God had to remind him that He had made Moses’ mouth and He could make him speak exactly what He wanted said.
Before being too harsh with Moses, haven’t most of us felt like this at times? What we learn as the story continues is that Moses was more than capable of speaking before the Pharaoh, but he allowed his feelings of inferiority to prevent his immediate obedience to God’s will.
If God calls you to something, He will provide you the means to accomplish it!
Constant Opposition
We can also become weary “while doing good” when we are constantly harassed and opposed by those that refuse to support what we are doing. Nothing can make us "lose heart" more quickly than the constant nitpicking of people who can seemingly find something wrong in nearly everything we do. And, they don’t usually stop at just disagreeing with our methods, they inevitably attack our motivations, as well. Those constant verbal jabs, cutting remarks and stubborn attitudes take their toll and can cause people to become “weary” in their work. The old saying about “words will never hurt you” is really a lie because the things people say and do can wound us so deeply that we sometimes just want to quit.
No one understands these kinds of bitter attacks better than our Savior Himself. He was constantly followed by the religious establishment of His day and they were always parsing everything He spoke and did. Even His own disciples sometimes didn’t understand Him and tried to prevent Him from doing the Father’s will. Such was the case when Peter told Him that He wasn’t going to let Him die at Jerusalem because he would defend Him against all such threats. Of course, Jesus rebuked Peter for speaking when he should have been listening.
Just consider the opposition He felt as He was arrested and taken before the High Priest, unjustly tried and crucified on a cruel Roman cross. Think about the mocking and jeering He endured, as well as the voice of the crowds as they cried out “we have no king but Caesar.” If anybody knew the opposition of sinners...it was Jesus! But...HE DIDN’T QUIT!
A pastor was being harassed and sharply criticized by his congregation to the point he didn’t think he could take it anymore. He went to a senior minister and told him of his troubles and of his desire to resign the church. To his surprise, his colleague began asking him questions, “Do your people ever spit in your face?” “No, of course not,” responded the distraught minister. “Do they ever hit you in the face?” “No,” came the response. “Have they tried to dress you up then mock, and torment you?” “No,” was his reply. “Have they stripped and scourged you, crowned you with thorns…” The young minister interrupted his older colleague and said, “No, and God helping me, until they do, I’ll hold on.”
Difficult Tasks
Sometimes we grow weary when we are given tasks that are hard or seemingly impossible to accomplish. Such was the case with the young preacher, Timothy. Paul had left him in Ephesus to lead the church and get it moving in the right direction. This wasn’t going to be a simple task and he needed the encouragement of his older, wiser mentor to help him stay the course, no matter how difficult the obstacles.
There was a lot of opposition to the Gospel in the city (1 Corinthians 16:9; Acts 19: 23-41), Timothy was prone to being somewhat timid and/or introverted (2 Timothy 1:7; 2:1-3), he was younger than many of the people he was called to lead (1 Timothy 4:12), and false doctrine was rampant, making it all the more difficult to set things in order in the church. Maybe the best advice when you find yourself in similar circumstances is to work slowly and methodically to accomplish your goals.
One morning a man found the snow all piled up in front of his door. He began to shovel it away, but there seemed to be such a mountain of it that after a while he threw down the shovel in despair saying, “I can never clear all of that snow.” In just a few minutes he picked up his shovel again, marked off a square, and began to see how long it would take for him to move it aside; then he marked off another and another until all of the snow was removed.
That is how you deal with difficult assignments. It might take awhile before you see the results, but you keep on plugging along with a relentless persistence.
Thankless Sacrifices
Others are made “weary” by their many thankless sacrifices that seemingly nobody notices. It’s important for us to express our appreciation to those that serve so diligently in the work they do. We all have to be careful not to take for granted the people that serve behind the scenes and have very little recognition. When you feel unappreciated, you can begin to grow “weary” in your work and begin to question whether it’s worth the sacrifice.
To those of you that feel this way today, let me remind you that Jesus sees what you are doing and has promised to reward you for your faithfulness. One day you’ll stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and you’ll hear Him say, “well done, good and faithful servant.” It’s the rewards you receive in Heaven that are the most important ones, not the ones you receive here.
This fundamental consideration is what is behind Paul’s encouragement to the Galatians in this specific passage (6:9).
Fruitless Endeavors
Finally, we can find ourselves growing “weary” when we labor and don’t see the results we expect. We’ve become so accustomed to everything being delivered to us quickly and on our timetable that we forget that faithfulness is our responsibility and fruitfulness is God’s responsibility. Sometimes people will even manipulate the circumstances in order to manufacture the results they desire, but that isn’t the way God does His work.
Think about the prophet Jeremiah that labored in the southern kingdom of Judah for forty years. He was often in prison (Jeremiah 32:2; 37:15) and even placed in a well/pit, on one occasion (Jeremiah 38:5-6). He was known as the weeping prophet because the people to whom he preached would not heed his warnings. They ignored his message, which ultimately led to their being taken into captivity by the Babylonian empire. We read about Jeremiah being depressed and discouraged during his ministry (Jeremiah 20:7-18) and at times he just wanted to quit (Jeremiah 20:9).
The fact is, none of us are exempt from these types of feelings. However, we have to remember that even when we feel like quitting, it’s always too early to do so. Take heart from the words of this old poem:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit!
Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow,
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the Victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you can never tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!
(Walter B. Knight, Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations, pp. 472-473)
I read a story some time ago about a commuter flight from Portland, Maine, to Boston that was being piloted by a man named Henry Dempsey. During the flight Dempsey heard a noise in the back of the plane so he turned the controls over to the co-pilot and went to investigate the problem.
As he reached the tail section, the plane hit an air pocket, and tossed him against the rear door. He quickly discovered that the noise he had heard was from the improperly latched rear door, as it flew open sucking him out of the plane. The co-pilot, seeing the red light, which indicated an open door, quickly radioed the nearest airport, requesting permission to make an emergency landing. He reported to the tower that the pilot had fallen out of the plane and requested a helicopter search of the area for him.
After the plane had landed, the emergency crews discovered that Henry Dempsy had caught hold of the outdoor ladder of the aircraft. Somehow he had held on for ten minutes as the plane flew at 200 mph at an altitude of 4,000 feet and was able to keep his head from hitting the runway when the plane landed. They said it took them several minutes to pry his fingers from the rung of the ladder to which he had been holding. (Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, p. 614)
That is the kind of relentless, tenacious, perseverance God is looking for from His people.
Sometimes the most important thing we can do in a given situation when we feel like quitting is to hold on till better times come. God sees that kind of faithfulness and He will reward it...if not here, when we stand before Him one day.
The power of the Gospel that saved us is also powerful to enable us to do whatever He has called us to do...no matter how difficult the task may be. When you feel like you can’t go another day, then go to the cross and ask the One that endured the most heinous suffering possible for the strength to not quit...until He tells you your work is finished. The Gospel of Christ doesn’t just make Christians out of us, it makes conquerors out of us. With the power of God and the confidence of His eventual reward, we can finish whatever He told us to start.
The apostle Paul came to the end of his ministry, after all the hardships he had endured (cf. 2 Corinthians 11:22-29), and facing imminent martyrdom, could say, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)
Jesus finished (Hebrews 12:2)! Paul finished (2 Timothy 4:7-8)! You can finish, too! Just don’t quit! Never, ever give up!
