Throwing in the towel ∙
So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. – Galatians 6:9
Galatians 6:1-10
1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.
3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
9 Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone – especially to those in the family of faith.
Failing to do the right thing is rampant in our times. Reports of high-profile ethical or moral fiascos have become the recurrent stuff of daily news cycles through the last several decades. High profile, public failure is widespread and covers all aspects of the social fabric of our times: Enron (massive fraud, misrepresentation), Arthur Andersen (accounting fraud, obstructing justice), Madoff (Ponzi scheme), Volkswagen (emissions scandal), Mark McGwire (PEDs), Uber (spy programs, embarrassing executive misconduct), RCC (Boston sexual abuse scandal), EF Hutton (check chaining), AH Robbins (Dalkon Shield), Anthony Weiner (sexually explicit photo tweets), Lance Armstrong (doping).
Rather than growing weary and giving up doing the right thing, “raise the bar.” Renew your resolve to do the right thing, in the right way, at the right time, for the right reasons. We have a leader, the Lord Jesus Christ. He was determined to do what was right no matter what until the end. In so doing, He has created a “ripple effect.” He is the model, we have only to emulate Him.
The John Deere company has core values of honor and integrity. It permeates everything they do. In 2018, the John Deere company was recognized as one of the most ethical companies in the world. Doing right works in the secular world. It works in the spiritual world as well. The Father’s forever family has clearly stated core values. It is incumbent for each of the Father’s children to stand firm upon them.
You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else (Winston Churchill).
Striving to do the right thing can be overwhelming.
Galatians 6:9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
When faced with fighting a seemingly invincible enemy, Nazi Germany, Winston Churchill spoke to the House of Commons on May 13, 1940.
You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word: victory. Victory at all cost, however long and hard the road may be, for without victory there is no survival.
You ask, what is our policy? To wage war . . . with all our might and with all the strength God has given us, and to wage war against a monstrous tyranny never surpassed in the dark and lamentable catalog of human crime.
I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many months of struggle and suffering.
REFLECT & PRAY
“I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care” (Lou Holtz). Leave the results of our lives in the Father’s hands.
Father it is so discouraging to strive to do what is right and be slapped in the face. It stings. The Lord Jesus Christ was acquainted with this form of grief, but He never gave up. Encourage me to persist and not give up.
INSIGHT
In the popular comic strip “Peanuts,” Lucy asks Charlie Brown, “Why are we here on earth?” He replies, “To make others happy.” She ponders this for a moment and then asks, “Then why are the others here?” (Wiersbe)
The apostle Paul knows all too well that even the most determined of the Father’s children can become disillusioned.
He warns us not to grow weary of helping others and give up trying to do good. When he speaks of becoming weary, Paul does not mean merely physically tired or weak. The Greek word translated weary or tired, enkakeo, has the sense of becoming disappointed, spiritless, disheartened, or even despairing.
All too frequently, our efforts are either unrecognized or unappreciated. Even worse, our best, sincere labors are thwarted, and things do not turn out as we wished. Discouragement sets in. Such discouragement takes a bite out of our motivation. It knocks the wind out of our sails. We not so secretly ask the question, “What is the point of doing this?” Our interest and energy wane. We simply give up.
Paul pleads with us to persist. Our efforts to do right and come alongside others are like planting seeds. A harvest is certain. What we sow, we reap. It is only a matter of time. Perfection is not possible for fallen creatures in a fallen world. Continued growth and maturity to completeness are possible. Rather than seeking perfection with the certainty of disappointment, aim for improvement, gradual improvement.
“No man stands so tall as when he stoops to help a child” (James Dobson). Stooping to do what is right, is right.
“Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement” (Matt Biondis)
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Dr H Reflections 