“Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” – Galatians 6:9 (TLB).
Are you a person who toes the line between right and wrong? Are you a person who doesn’t believe that the warm fuzzies we gain from doing what is right don’t compensate for what we’re sacrificing? Because sometimes doing what is right is putting up with other people’s angry outbursts. Or offering a gentle answer to a belligerent teenager. Or continuing to tithe at church when that money is needed in other places. Or listening to someone tell you about their troubles when you would rather indulge yourself with a Netflix marathon.
It is so easy to get tired of doing what is right. Doing right doesn’t seem to give you any perks when many people take the easy way out, cheat, lie, etc. and always get what they want. The biggest problem in society is not that some do wrong, but that those who know how to do good do not do it. There is a confrontation every day, between evil and good, a battle to be fought and the word says doing good is how we triumph over evil.
In times like these we need to remember who we are doing good for. When we do the right thing, we please God. We may not reap immediate benefits from doing the right thing, but eventually we will get the absolute best reward of all, spending eternity with our Lord and Savior. The bottom line is you can’t go wrong doing the right thing.
The major theme of Galatians is that we are saved by faith, and not by works. Yet what I do as a believer is important. True salvation is not just accepting Jesus into my heart with an eye toward heaven in the future. It is an ongoing relationship with Jesus as my Lord. And that is what is reflected in this closing instruction in Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia. “Let us not get tired of doing what is right, for after a while we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t get discouraged and give up” (Galatians 6:9 (TLB)
So what does it mean to do good? Doing good is not the same thing as doing no harm. Doing no harm is a passive activity. But doing good is active. It is something that takes effort on our part. Something that is directed toward other people. Doing good means that when I see an opportunity to help another person, I take it. It may be something simple and with little cost. Or it may be more costly and time-consuming. Doing good simply means that I do what I can to help others. That is especially true within the church body. We should actively look for ways to do good; to be helpful to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Don’t think what you’re doing doesn’t matter. Don’t give up on doing the right thing.
Discussion Questions:
- Where does doing good fit in your life? Can you plan for it daily?
- What do you do when you grow tired of doing what is right?