Do Not Get Tired Of Doing Good

DO NOT GET TIRED OF DOING GOOD

a prayer to open

Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

May your Kingdom come, may your will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 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. 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. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

If we seek to do good by our own strength, we will get tired. We might get resentful of God or of others. If we seek to save the world instead of joining with God in his saving of the world, we will get worn out because the job’s too big, beyond our ability. But if we align with the Spirit, we will feel full and alive. This is not to say we don’t need rest for our bodies and minds and souls. In fact, we can build rhythms of rest into our life. God made us to need these rhythms. When we refuse them, we can be sure we have disconnected from him and are going it alone. Jesus says, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

Close your eyes and imagine yourself sitting in a favorite, familiar spot. Get comfortable there, listening for sounds, seeing what is around you. Then imagine Jesus next to you or across from you, looking into your eyes and then saying these words: “Why are you so tired? What have you taken on that isn’t yours? Come and rest.”

• What would you do today if you allowed Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:28 to guide you? What would you stop doing today if you allowed his words to guide you?
• What doubts arise as you think about building rhythms of rest into your life? What fears or worries surface when you consider Jesus’ words applying to you?
• What rhythms of rest do you need to build into your days, weeks, months, and years? Take a few moments to ask God to help you put into practice the rest you need so you do not grow tired of doing good.

Father, you have called me to so much. You have called me to love beyond what I am capable of. I look through all you ask and almost wither under the weight. But this is me attempting to go it alone. This is me seeing you as a distant God who has left the world spinning without you. Remind me of your presence here by your Spirit. Remind me that I need only align with what you are already doing and be guided along in the work of love. Give me the courage to trust you and to rest regularly. Amen.