"We
reap the full harvest of the good only if we persevere;
the evil comes to harvest on its own"
the evil comes to harvest on its own"
Galatians 6:9-10
To
receive the full fruit of our labors, we must persevere. Scripture, life experiences, and nature teach
us that we reap the full harvest of the good only through persistent
effort. Evil, on the other hand, needs
no help to spread and multiply.
Galatians
6:9 contains both a promise...we will reap and
a premise...if we do not grow weary.
Complacency, neglect or wrong priorities can take their
toll on anything.
I. The Challenge of Persevering
Persevere - a resolute and unyielding grasp and completion
of a course of action.
Doing good works will not come naturally
or easily.
DISCOURAGEMENT When things don't happen the way WE
think they should.
A. The peril of discouragement - Let us not lose heart in doing good
B. The prospect of weariness -If we do not grow weary
C. The problem of waiting in due time
D. The promise of the harvest - we shall reap
II. Persevering In Working
"To know and not do
is not yet to know."
"The problem of the average believer today is not a lack of knowledge,
but the application of truths he already knows." Lawrence
Perseverance is not just waiting
things out but working things out.
III. Persevering In Weeding
We do not dare let weeds grow in
our own garden while we seek to hoe them out of others.
Mark
4:18-19 explains
what the weeds are that destroy our planting of good: "And others are the ones on whom seed
was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, but the worries
of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires
for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.
Beware the Tyranny of the Urgent
Be intentional with your time.
When we persevere we
will ... Isaiah 40:29-31
