Listen

Make no mistake, God is not mocked. A person will harvest what they plant. Those who plant only for their own benefit will harvest devastation from their selfishness, but those who plant for the benefit of the Spirit will harvest eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not get tired of doing good, because in time we’ll have a harvest if we don’t give up. So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith.

Galatians 6:7-10

Think

Have you ever been tired? Not I-stayed-up-late-watching-TV tired, or I-just-can’t-clean-up-today tired…  I’m talking bone tired. When I was 19, I worked all day in a garden shop of a department store moving a manure pile. It was my first day at work. The boss wanted to see if I would stay. Twelve hours later, I barely made it home. I was bone tired.

Doing God’s work can be exhausting — loving unlovely people, being there for our friends, putting the needs of others ahead of our desires…  Been there, felt that, right? Today, in Galatians, we get a little pep talk. “Don’t get tired of doing good.” The only way this can really happen is if the good we do is in appreciation of what Jesus did and does for us. Appreciation, deep heart-felt appreciation, can be a powerful motivator.

Bill Ogletree

Pray

Lord, doing your work can be tiring. When I feel I can’t push on, make me mindful of what you did and do for me. Thank you for the opportunity to be there for others today. Amen.

Go

Mother Teresa once wrote that we can let God’s grace work in our souls by accepting whatever God gives us and giving whatever God takes from us. She says: “True holiness consists of doing God’s work with a smile.”