Read Galatians 6:9-10

"And let us not grow weary while doing good…" — Galatians 6:9

Beloved, when you ponder these words, you might find them peculiar. Do not grow weary! It's like telling a laborer not to sweat in his toil. Yet, is this what the apostle Paul means? Is he seeking to cultivate a slothful heart, indifferent to the struggles that encircle us, suggesting a faith that merely exists upon the surface unless burdened with inconvenience? By no means! This is far from Paul’s exhortation!

Paul, in his epistle, employs a Greek phrase that unveils a deeper, solemn truth. It translates as to become discouraged or to conduct oneself wearily, but with further examination, we unearth an even deeper meaning — it signifies an inward attitude that is wrong or evil.

Here emerges a startling contrast: outward deeds of goodness, yet an inward cancer of discontent thoughts. We find ourselves divided, one foot in positive service, but the other anchored in silent protest.

Let me recount a story I once heard that illustrates this idea. There once was a defiant child under the chastisement of his father. "Sit," commands the father, stern in authority. Yet, the child’s will remained resolute; he refused, standing firm in rebellion. A second time the father ordered, yet the child's feet remained unyielding. Finally, with an authoritative voice, the father commands his son to sit. "I will sit," the child grumbles, "but in my heart, I am standing!"

Ha! So often do we echo this — our deeds and our thoughts are misaligned. It’s to have a heart that does not match action, and this can come from a host of evils: discouragement, selfishness, hypocrisy.

But the root is often complaint. Ever complained to yourself? You know well this adversary! It's that voice in your head when things don't go the way you expect, and your inward attitude changes. You begin to lose heart, get discouraged, get defensive, or even get offended.

The sure sign of weariness and fainting, dear friends, is this seed of self-murmuring and grievance. Remember the Master's words:

"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." — Matthew 12:34

What misery blooms from a heart embittered! What drudgery seeps into Christian duty when the heart is diseased with discontent! Beloved, is your heart murmuring even now?

Yet hear this word of promise! You are not bound to this weariness. Victory over the complaining spirit is within your grasp! This is the power bestowed by the Almighty — the power to choose! Thus, with confidence, Paul confidently puts this decision in your lap today: "Let us not grow weary in doing good!"

Ah, but maybe you’re someone who struggles with this more than others. For you, the battle is more fierce. How then shall you not grow weary when that unwelcome enemy of murmuring and complaining has made a home in your heart? There are at least four biblical strategies, firm and true, to safeguard against this complaining attitude. These are not hidden things, and when you hear them, they will not be mind-blowing or surprising, but they are true and powerful.

First, fortify your heart by choosing to act out of love, not out of duty or dreariness!

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails!” (1 Corinthians 13:1–8)

Second, invigorate your spirit through prayer. Have you given up in prayer for the good work you are doing? Do you cry out in intercession for the tasks at hand?

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God…" — Philippians 4:6–7

Third, embolden your mind to think rightly by focusing on things above.

"If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above…" — Colossians 3:1–2

Fourth, let thanksgiving be the anchor of your being.

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks…" — 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18

Beloved, this is how you may arm yourselves against the exhaustion of life. Resist the insidiousness of a weary spirit. Choose love, embrace prayer, align your thoughts with Heaven, and let gratitude reign each and every day. By doing so, the renewal and strength for every task is within reach, and the weariness of doing good vanishes, replaced by the joy of being Christ’s true servant who is fueled by grace.

‍