II Thessalonians 3:13b

"... do not grow weary in doing good."

I would be hard pressed to say that I'm weary in doing good. So there's an assumption here for the reader that there's a lot of good going on to create a state of weariness. But I think there's a difference between weariness and being tired. If I'm doing a lot of good, there's a very good chance I'm going to get tired. I believe that's O. K. But regardless of the quantity of good, growing weary in doing it can occur whether there's much or little. This is because a state of weariness is created when I think that it's accomplishing no good, that my doing good is wasteful or purposeless, or perhaps worse yet that my doing good is interfering with something that I wish I could be doing but cannot.

There's hope, great hope that I need lay hold of because labor, good labor is not wearisome as it's simply never in vain. (cf. I Corinthians 15:58) Why is it not in vain? Because God's hand upon others via the hand of others is one of His greatest ordained means to accomplish His end. It's always been that way, and yet I tend to underestimate and undervalue my role to bring about His work to achieve His end. When I see myself in that light, then I lose motivation and become listless. God could speak forth with a loud voice for all to hear, and He could show Himself for all to see, but He chooses what's perceived as a much less dramatic means that is ironically a much more powerful means. When people see people doing good, especially the weak with the weak, it stirs a human heart to ponder its source. The source is supernatural; the source is the Creator of the source. So, doing good cannot be wasteful, purposeless or ineffective because it points to God.

But now for the most convicting piece of God's Word to me this morning; wearisome good works because they get in the way of what I'd prefer to be doing. That's painful. It hits home. O' that my visions and paradigms about how I perceive life should be could be reframed to visions and paradigms about how life can be when I lay myself down that Jesus might be lifted up. Temporal visions at the expense of eternal realities; what a tragedy. Life, divine life is so much sweeter when the grip I have on this life is loosed, even when it means letting go of good things that better things might be gained.

'God, don't let me look around today. Stiffen my neck to look straight ahead and up. Don't let me, or any of my family, become weary in doing good. What an honor to be Yours; what an honor to be Your means of good.'