Sneak Peak #4 - From Day 12 Of "Faithful Fitness"

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Passage  

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9 NIV)

Meditation

In his letter of encouragement and instruction to the Galatian church, Paul teaches us a rule of thumb in our Christian life. 

Never. Give. Up.

Have you ever been on a difficult hike? 

You are on a trail. You’ve done your homework. You’ve studied the map, and you know (kind of) where the trail leads. As long as you stay on the path, you really only have two jobs. 

Stay on the path. 

And don’t stop until you reach the end.

That’s what the Christian life is like. 

If you are following Jesus with your life, He likened it to walking along the “narrow and difficult way.”[1]You’ve found the path and you have one other job.

Don’t stop. 

Will storms come? Yes. Might you stumble on a rock? Definitely. Will you doubt the winding path ahead, get hungry and thirsty, and begin to wonder whether you’ll ever see the end? At least once a week!

Paul says that’s exactly what’s in store for those who would follow Christ. “Deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow me,” says our Lord. 

Where does Jesus go with His cross? To die. Why? So others may live.

Jesus’s narrow way is clear in scripture. He hiked up a very steep hill to face death, hell, and the grave. Whatever the Christian life may be, it is definitely not a walk through a primrose park. 

That sounds grim—if death were the end of the story. But praise God, it wasn’t. 

He endured the cross “for the joy set before Him.”[2]The perfect will of His Heavenly Father is eternal life and a way for everyone who would follow Him. To Him be all honor and glory. Amen.

Jesus knew who he was fighting for. And He carried His cross forthrightly because of it.

Who are you fighting for? Who will benefit from “the harvest” of your life? For whom are you willing to keep putting one foot in front of the other—continuing to walk the narrow way set before you, come what may?

Weary or not, in God’s timing, you will see the harvest, if you do not give up.

Discipline

The discipline of grit requires that you learn how to keep going when others would quit. Jesus knew whom He was fighting for. You need to know too. Write down on a piece of paper or index card whom you are fighting for. Put it somewhere you’ll see it often. Your fight is needed. Use this as fuel to do the good work that needs to be done today. 

Prayer

Father God, I glorify Your name. You are so good. You have made me and everything in my life to happen in Your timing. Please help me when I grow weary. I know that the path You laid before me is not easy. Sometimes I am weary and want to give up. Show me whom You have made me to fight for in this world. Help me to follow You. Show me any areas of my life where I am making things unnecessarily hard and give me the energy and resolve I need to strive through the obstacles You would have me overcome. Show me a vision of Your harvest in my life. Teach me how to persevere for their sake. I want Your will to be done in and through me. Holy Spirit, when I grow weary and want to quit, bring those I care about to my heart and mind—Your harvest in my life. You have made me of sterner stuff than I yet know. Show me how to be like Christ—how to never give up no matter path You ask of me to walk. You are good. I am Yours. I trust in You. 

In Jesus’s name, amen.   

 [1]Matthew 7:14.

[2]Hebrews 12:2.