Don’t Give Up: Galatians 6:9
“Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”
—Galatians 6:9 (CSB)
Background
Paul traveled and proclaimed the gospel to the Gentiles in every city. He established churches and instructed them on how to live out their new faith. After leaving the established bodies of believers and going to his next destination, he would often check in, usually in the form of letters, and the book of Galatians is one such letter.
Paul wrote to the church of Galatia around AD 50. According to Galatians chapter 1, the body of believers there had been persuaded to follow the legalistic view of salvation that had been taught to them by others after Paul left. Throughout this letter Paul is exhorting the church to turn back to the one true gospel. He takes time to explain it to them again, but this time he directly addresses the view of legalism and freedom of Christ.
Exposition
In Galatians 6:9 Paul tells the people, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up” (CSB). After teaching them about how to live with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, how to share in burdens, how to handle sin, and how to work for one another’s good, he encourages them to not give up.
People were very familiar with the concepts of sowing and reaping their crops, and all the effort that it entailed. If they put in the work to prepare the soil, care for the seeds, and tend the plants well, they would eventually reap the reward of their crop. In the same way, Paul told the people that if they tend to their faith diligently, they will reap the fruit of eternal life (Gal. 6:8).
Application
Today’s believers face the same situation. We are also faced with diligently caring for our own faith, caring for the body of Christ, and making disciples of the next generation. These are not easy tasks to accomplish! However, no matter how overwhelming it all may seem, God has given you great promises through His Word and equipped you with everything you need to live out what He has called you to do.
However, we should be careful to not lose sight of the first part of Galatians 6:9, “Let us not get tired of doing good.” The people of Galatia were exhorted to do good — that is what they were sowing to reap good things.
What are we sowing? Are we caring for the soil of our hearts by taking the time and effort to spend intentional time in God’s Word and prayer? Are we orienting our lives in such a way as to plant seeds of faith in those around us? Are we watering the body of believers that surrounds us with love and kindness? Are our lives bearing the fruit of the Spirit as Paul recorded just before this passage in Galatians 5:22–23?
These are essential aspects of our part of the work if we want to reap what God has intended for our lives. Specifically, for those of us who teach and disciple the next generation, consider the students in your classroom. I encourage you to pray over them and seek what God would have you sow into their lives. Look past the rough days, the chaos they often bring, and see the tender souls God has entrusted to you. If you do not give up, if you keep sowing His Word into their hearts, it will not return void (Isaiah 55:11).
On this side of heaven, we do not always get to see God’s plan for the lives of our students, but we know they are His creation. If we do our part and don’t give up, we know there will be a harvest. And how wonderful it is to be able to be a part of God’s harvest!
Whatever season of life you are in, whatever position of influence, whatever struggle, or victory, keep going. Don’t give up. Not only for your students, but also because God loves and cares for you. Remember, “Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”
Emily Dhakal lives in Louisiana where she serves in various ministries at First Baptist of Ponchatoula. She is an ESL teacher and attends New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where she is pursuing a masters of divinity in missions and a masters of arts in discipleship, both to be completed in May 2024. She loves passionately pursuing God and whatever His plans are for her future.
