DO
NOT GROW WEARY IN DOING GOOD
BREAD
8 We do not want you
to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of
Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that
we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed,
in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on
ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He
has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we
have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us. 2
Corinthians 1:8-10 (NIV)
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great
cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that
so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him
endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the
throne of God. 3 Consider him
who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary
and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV)
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. 10 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)
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had
no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears
within. 6 But God, who comforts the
downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7
and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given
him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent
concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. 2 Corinthians 7:5-7 (NIV)
13 And
as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right. 2
Thessalonians 3:13 (NIV)
12 Now we
ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you
in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold
them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with
each other. 14 And we urge
you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be
patient with everyone. 15 Make
sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each
other and to everyone else. 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15 (NIV)
14 Our people
must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may
provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives. Titus 3:14 (NIV)
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good. 1 Peter 4:19 (NIV)
15 For it is God’s
will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 1 Peter 2:15 (NIV)
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, 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. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, 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. 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me
and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 (NIV)
BUTTER
“Our weariness, our grumbling, and our complaining grows as we seek to be faithful to God’s ways in our own strength and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing eternal is ever done in the flesh – all done in the flesh will be found wanting – it is only through the Spirit that eternal works are accomplished. When working in our own power we simply wear ourselves out going nowhere fast.” BHY
“As the flower is before the fruit, so is faith before good
works.” Richard Whately
“Service to God is as uniquely differing among believers
as our fingerprints. God has
specifically designed good works for each life that we may walk in them through
His power and for His glory and our good.
These works encompass all areas from peeling potatoes to running a
country to changing a diaper to caring for the elderly to holding a door – it
matters not what the task is but that we are faithful to walk in it. We cannot do all things for all people. Jesus Himself did not feed every hungry soul
nor heal every hurting one as He walked this dusty earth. We are all limited by our physical bodies yet
through His power we are all equipped to do what we are called to do, and the
body of Christ suffers –as well as we ourselves – when we remain unfaithful to
the task. God’s work done in God’s way
will never lack God’s supply and it equates to the abundant life which Jesus
came to give us. Don’t be misled,
service out of love for God is that component which makes for greatness in a
life because God’s Word attests to that.” BHY
“This ‘it’s all about
grace’ talk goes wrong when we say that the amazing grace that saves the Christian doesn’t also make him distinct from the
unbeliever in love, action, and speech.
When we go out of our way to discount the grace of good works in
Christian life, we betray how little we really know of grace. Nothing on this planet us like it. It is the most precious jewel we can receive. The sweetest thing our souls can taste. The loveliest lyric our mouths can sing. But it is never a powerless thing. God does not have a type of saving grace
that, once given, leaves its recipient unchanged. Saving grace not only justifies the ungodly
(Romans 4:5) but trains us ‘to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and
to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age’ (Titus 2:11-12). God himself is at work in us by His Spirit
(Philippians 2:13). And this grace is a
more effective teacher than Dr. Phil or Dr. Seuss or any other teacher in the
world. But the doctrine of same-as-the-world
Christianity tells us something different:
that those who have found the doctor are no healthier than those who
have not. Or, in the other rendition,
that those beggars who have found the bread stay just as malnourished as the
starving world. But patients who tell us
that they have seen the medic, while also confessing they are still no different
from those miserable souls in the waiting room, let us all in on the secret
that they are either lying or need to find a new doctor.” Greg Morse
“We
are the workmanship of God. He wants to regenerate us through our relationship
with Jesus in the supernatural community of the Church. Then, He gives us the
spiritual gifts and tools we’ll need to do the good works that he’s already
prepared for us to do.” Chip Ingram
“God has given us his word that we might learn to lean on God himself.
Not just generally on true ideas, concepts, and Christian slogans, but
specifically on the actual words of God for us, letting all the ways God speaks
to us brace us for doing good. We humble
ourselves, turn to God, open his word, and trust what he says — not what we
see. We seek to readjust our hearts to his truth, not allowing the world’s
appearances to steer us. We aim to lean not on our own understanding, whether
self-justifying or self-doubting, but on his specific words and promises to us
in the Book.” David Mathis“The flesh is all about trying; the Spirit is all about dying.” Jennifer Dean
“Meaninglessness ultimately comes not from being weary
of pain but from being weary of pleasure.”
G.K. Chesterton
“Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith;
we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon
the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our
life. Our faith will be tried faith, and
if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God
if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Jesus Christ is God’s everything for man’s total
needs.” Richard Halverson
“All good fruit proceeds from the Vine – apart from
Him we can do nothing.” BHY
“We all know the value of joy. It alone is the proof that what we have
really satisfies the heart. Just this
makes gladness such a mighty element in the Christian character: there is no proof of the reality of God’s
love and the blessing He bestows, which men so soon feel the force of, as when
the joy of God overcomes all the trials of life. And for the Christian’s own welfare, joy is
no less indispensable: the joy of the
Lord is his strength; confidence, and courage, and patience finds their
inspiration in joy. With a heart full of
joy no work can weary, and no burden can depress; God Himself is strength and
song.” Andrew Murray
HEART SAVOR
- · We are not to grow weary in doing good. When we become filled with self-pity, with grumbling and complaining, we have undoubtedly fixed our eyes on the wrong object. The object of our soul’s fixation is to be Jesus not self.
- · Jesus gives us the grace to meet every need. If we don’t have the need we don’t have the grace. He is not a grace waster.
- · God has planned in advance works and ways for us to walk in and we don’t want to miss them by our own poor choices. His ways are good, pleasing and perfect for every child of the King. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness all other things will be given to you as well.
