Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the
proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all people especially to those who belong to the family of believers. - Galatians 6:9-10
Farmers are patient people. They prepare the soil and plant their
crops. Day after day they labor, from
sunrise to sundown, getting the seeds in the ground. Then, when everyone else goes on vacation,
they work through tending their crops.
Finally, it’s harvest time. Not everyone
has the patience to be a farmer. Many of
us want to see our efforts rewarded much more quickly. We can learn an important life lesson from
the farmer: good things take time.
Doing what God asks can be a hard
work. Sometimes, we don’t see the results
we want soon enough to suit us, so we’re tempted to give up. We share our faith with a friend and pray for
his salvation. When he doesn’t accept
Christ right away, we get discouraged and quit praying. We try to help a friend overcome a problem,
but we don’t see any change, so we get frustrated and move to another
project. Our problem is we give up too
soon. Can you imagine a farmer
preparing the soil for his crop, then never planting the seeds because he felt
he had already worked hard enough? Or
planting the crop but growing impatient when it wasn’t ready to harvest after
just one month?
We need to be patient, like the
farmer. As long as we keep praying for
people, encouraging them, and helping them grow, God promises we will see a
harvest. If we faithfully study God’s
Word and obey what it says, we will grow more and more like Christ. It won’t necessarily happen overnight, but it
will happen. Don’t grow tired of the
doing the right things. God’s Word promises
that if we persist in doing what is right, we will be rewarded.
