Galatians 6: 4 Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.
6 Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them.
7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
It’s not easy – but it’s worth it.
Funny, when people begin talking about struggles and adversities, you can almost hear defeat in those who are willing to give up and defiance in those who are willing to fight for it. Whatever it is. Each of us has something that we are willing to grind it out for, and we all have something we are not willing to work for. Usually, it’s only the things that we deem to be necessary, vital and important to us, that we put effort in to fighting for – and that’s a good thing, because of all the things in this world that we cannot afford to waste, time is one the most important. Time can never be reclaimed, once it’s spent, it’s done – no renewal, no restoration, no refueling – it’s gone – so in these days and times it’s important to decide what are going direct our efforts towards. – I find when I am doing things that are not spiritually profitable to me, I feel like I have wasted my time – that’s never good – at least for me. I
I am trying to avoid becoming despondent, disillusioned, distressed and depressed – so I hear the Word of God speaking to me from the 6th chapter of Galatians, first to remind me to
1. Concern yourself about yourself – That’s not about being selfish, it’s not about being stingy, it’s not about being self-centered – it is about being honest, informed and focused on what God wants me to do. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. Here God is speaking to me about the need to perfect the gifts and calling which HE gave me! Although I am to have a heart and a godly concern for everyone –what others do with their calling is really not my business. What blessings and opportunities given to them is really not a cause for comparison. What struggles and difficulties is not my time to gossip about them. What I need to do is to tend to myself – and make sure I am doing what God called me to do –I cannot answer the call for anyone else. I find when I start eating other people’s spiritual plate, I get a bit of spiritual indigestion – I get a bet peeved, I get a bit angered, I get a miffed, I get a bitter, I get a bit beside myself – and that’s because I was minding someone else’s business and not attending to my own. My gifts, my calling will be called into account when I stand before the Lord – not anyone else’s – He will not ask me what I did with your gift – If I hindered you in the exercise of that gift, then I will have to answer and pay for that – but if I am tending to my own business and the exercise of my gifts, and my own satisfaction – I won’t have time to be in your business – as they say it will take me six months to mind my business and six months to leave yours alone. This comparison thing is not an east monkey to throw off my back, because I want to achieve, I want to excel, I want to progress and many times I look for markers in the road to see how close or how far I am – but the problem is when I looks to the markers, I miss the mark – my eyes and heart should be focused on the Cross – because truly that is the prize – forgetting those things which are behind me and reaching for those things ahead – I press towards the mark of the prize of the high calling of God which is in Jesus Christ.
2. Select your seed wisely – I see God telling me in this passage, that my victory is dependent on the seed planted. There’s no way around it – If I don’t set it up right, it won’t come out right. Can’t expect goodness to bloom where evilness is planted. It’s just not possible. I can’t expect results to come forth, if no effort was put into to it. I can’t expect abundance when I planted emptiness. The effort and the intent into which I put into anything directly correlates to what I get back. If my intention is to receive the applause of man, then that’s what I will get – it will be temporary and will be based on how people feel about me at that moment – but if my intention is to do the work of He who sent me, then I will receive His reward and His well done – not only on this side but in eternity. Just as in the parable of the talents, to whom much is given, much is required – does not matter what it is that I have been given by God, I am commanded to make sure I use it to bring Him glory and honor. I must work as unto Jesus for He is the Author and Finisher of my faith. I must offer my gift as if Jesus was standing right there – if I do it in a negative spirit – I will reap negativity – If I do it in anger – I will reap misery, If I do it in vanity, I will reap it in embarrassment – I must do what God has told me to do –How God has told me to do it – in alignment with God’s desire for things to be done decently and in order as in all the churches of God - I must inspect the seeds I am sowing, and pray over them – removing any obstacles that would prevent them from growing to be a blessing – what I have been given was not given to me to shine the light on me, but these gifts are given that God might get the glory, that my light might shine before all men that they may see these works and glorify my Father which is in heaven. We have not been saved by works, but we’ve been saved to do good works. We are His workmanship and His special creation – created in His heart and call out of darkness into His marvelous light to show forth His praise – For He alone is worthy – of all glory, all honor and all adoration. Only what we do for Christ will last.
3. Don’t give up! So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good, at just the right time we reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. It is not easy to work in the face of opposition – road blocks – aggravation – irritation – It’s not easy – and truth be told, no one said would. It’s not easy to keep on, especially when there are no tangible results of your efforts. It’s not easy to keep on trying, we people you expect to be pulling with you, look like they are pulling against you. It’s not easy to give from your heart, only to hear criticism and catter-walling, it’s not easy to hope for a change day after day only to feel like you’re living the same old thing year after year, it’s not easy – but hear the Lord encouraging you this evening – don’t give up – there are some trees that come right up after being planted – but there are some that take many years to come up. Someone in here needs to know, that God has a long term plan for your success - it’s not going to be easy and you may not see any results this first, second or fifth time around – but the Lord is encouraging you not to give up in this struggle – He’s letting you know the winds of adversity were sent to make your strong – without that you wouldn’t have known you could bend but not break – without that darkness you wouldn’t have known how to appreciate the light, without that sorrow you would have learned how to dance in joy, without those tears, you wouldn’t have learned how to smile, without that sickness you wouldn’t have learned how to appreciate your health, without that trial, you would have learned to pray until something happens – so here’s the word – Don’t give up – you’ve come too far to give up now! The Lord is planning a great successful harvest for you – you’ve just got to have a long term outlook – it’s not easy – but it worth it – because you will get it if you don’t give up – Don’t give up because God has not given up on You – don’t give up because there is great joy on the other side of this trial – Don’t give up because the blood has not lost its power! Don’t give up because Jesus has a great plan for you – For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future – don’t give up – Jesus is yet working it out on your behalf – don’t give up because one day, the Lord will return with a shout and the voice of an angel, and the dead in Christ will rise, and those of us who are alive and remain will be caught up together to meet Him in the air, therefore my beloved breathen Be Ye Steadfast, Unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord for inasmuch as you know your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
