Ministry of Grace Church

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Truth to Learn

Doing good for others is not easy and may seem to go unnoticed by anyone, but God sees it all.

Behind the Words

The word translated “grow weary” is the Greek word ekkakeō, which means “to lose courage” or “to become despondent.” This word is expressed in the subjunctive mood, indicating possible action, hence this could have been translated as “And we should not become discouraged …” This is a better translation because it expresses the possibility of losing courage, as the word indicates, rather than losing strength.

“In due season” is translated from the Greek words kairō idiō. These words mean “at its set time” or “in its proper season.” It is a reference to the appropriate time for something to happen.

The expression “if we do not lose heart” is translated from mē ekloumenoi. The Greek word mē, which we learned a couple verses back, refers to negation (usually translated, not). Ekloumenoi is a compound word made up of ek, used as an intensifier, and a form of luō, meaning to let loose. When used in the passive voice as it is here it means “to become exhausted” or “to faint.”

Meaning Explained

A literal translation of this verse might be “But we should not become discouraged as we are doing good things because at the proper time we will reap, not becoming exhausted.”

Paul has just instructed the Galatian Christians, and us, that sowing fleshly seed (succumbing to our fleshly desires and making self the center of our thoughts) will lead to a harvest of gradual, continuous decay. Sowing spiritual seed (living a life submitted to the Spirit of God and having the good of others as our focus), however, will lead to an eternal harvest. He knew, though, that sowing spiritual seed and doing good for others are like swimming upstream against the onrushing torrent of worldly beliefs and attitudes.

Paul knows from personal experience that if we continue to do those things which are good and right, we are likely to get discouraged because the fruits of such actions are not immediate. Like a farmer who has to wait until the proper season to harvest the crops he has so diligently labored over, we must be willing to wait until the proper time to see the fruit of our labors. So he encourages us that if we keep on, in God’s perfect timing we will eventually see the result of our labors. And, keeping this carrot in front of us will help us not to become weak and ineffective.

It may be that we will not see the harvest of our seed sowing at all in this lifetime. But that which is being done for God through His Holy Spirit will not go unnoticed. At the Bema Seat Judgment, where all of our works will be tested by fire, we may finally see the harvest and know the eternal consequences, and God will receive all the glory.

Application

Though we may not see the fruit of our labor in this life, we must not become discouraged, and we must not stop living for Christ. He gave His life that we might live eternally. We must now live this life in His power through His Spirit so that others might see that He is alive in us.

In God’s service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2008 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

If this message or this link was forwarded to you by a friend and you wish to receive future verses directly to your inbox, you can call the church phone (618) 614-3070 and leave a message telling us your name and e-mail address or you can send an e-mail to: