"And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint" - Galatians 6:9 (Amplified Bible)
Recently I have been thinking about this verse and how it can apply to growing and developing as a Christian and even making changes in everyday life. In July I posted a blog called "Making Changes" where I wrote about how we need to be open to change and growth in our lives. This blog might be called a second part to that one because they both fit together. There are many people who as they make changes in their life or as they take a further step to grow as a Christian they get tired and give up before they reap the results of their efforts.
There will always be growth "opportunities" and things that the Holy Spirit will show us that need to be changed and/or corrected. Usually we are enthusiastic at the beginning and ready to do whatever has to be done. But as time goes on we don't often see things change as fast as we want and we get weary in doing the right thing and we quit. In times like that I am so thankful that God is a good and gracious God and He will continue to work with us and help us get back on course if we get off track.
As I have been making some changes in my life, naturally and spiritually, I have sometimes become discouraged because it seems like it is taking me so long to get where I am going. God reminded me of that verse in Galatians 6:9 and He also gave me a good example to encourage me. One problem we have is that we live in such a fast paced society today and we want everything to happen right away without any waiting or delay. But the fact is that real growth and change will most often take time.
The example God gave me was that of a ship in the ocean. If one of those big oceangoing ships decides that they want to change course it is not an instant thing, especially if the course change is a big one. What God showed me is that making changes in life is more like a ship on the ocean than the drive through at McDonalds. We would like everything to be like the drive through where we place our order and a few minutes later we get what we want. Real change may take some time and realizing that can help us to hold steady as we make course corrections in our life. If we continue to follow the growth plan that God has for our lives we may not see changes overnight but if we don't get weary in doing the right things we will see the desired results. No matter what change you may be making or no matter how long you have been standing on God's Word in faith be assured that the time will come when you reap the rewards and it will be worth the effort!
There will always be growth "opportunities" and things that the Holy Spirit will show us that need to be changed and/or corrected. Usually we are enthusiastic at the beginning and ready to do whatever has to be done. But as time goes on we don't often see things change as fast as we want and we get weary in doing the right thing and we quit. In times like that I am so thankful that God is a good and gracious God and He will continue to work with us and help us get back on course if we get off track.
As I have been making some changes in my life, naturally and spiritually, I have sometimes become discouraged because it seems like it is taking me so long to get where I am going. God reminded me of that verse in Galatians 6:9 and He also gave me a good example to encourage me. One problem we have is that we live in such a fast paced society today and we want everything to happen right away without any waiting or delay. But the fact is that real growth and change will most often take time.
The example God gave me was that of a ship in the ocean. If one of those big oceangoing ships decides that they want to change course it is not an instant thing, especially if the course change is a big one. What God showed me is that making changes in life is more like a ship on the ocean than the drive through at McDonalds. We would like everything to be like the drive through where we place our order and a few minutes later we get what we want. Real change may take some time and realizing that can help us to hold steady as we make course corrections in our life. If we continue to follow the growth plan that God has for our lives we may not see changes overnight but if we don't get weary in doing the right things we will see the desired results. No matter what change you may be making or no matter how long you have been standing on God's Word in faith be assured that the time will come when you reap the rewards and it will be worth the effort!
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