Don't Give Up!

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." We have to face the facts. Bad things happen to good people. The evil often seem to go unpunished. The wicked prosper & the righteous struggle. We don't always get what we want. Plans fail. Health problems occur. Marriages fall apart. Children go astray. Everyone isn't going to love us. Life simply isn't fair! All of that is true. But the good news is that God is still in control. It's hard not to grow weary--physically, emotionally and spiritually. Often, it seems that we struggle & toil, we give so much yet seem to receive so little in return. We speak, but appear unheard. We love, but love isn't returned. We do our best to plant good seed in fertile soil as we witness to others about The Gift of Salvation, yet see few accept it. These things have existed as long as humanity itself. There's a story in Matthew 20 about a landowner who hired men to work for him. Some he hired first thing in the morning & others through the day up to the final few hours. When time to collect pay came, he paid them all the same. The men who had been hired early grumbled & complained that it was unfair that the ones who only worked a few hours earned the same as them--the ones who had given the entire day. The landowner was within his rights to do as he chose & pay as he had negotiated or what he felt fair. Obviously, the story was told with spiritual significance--the landowner represented God The Father & we are those brought in to work. Whether we accept God early & serve Him all our lives or we call out to Him with our last breath, the reward is the same--Eternal Life in Heaven with Him. And for that, we should be grateful. Remember the thief on the cross? Still, when you do your best to serve Him and life is difficult, it makes one wonder about the "fairness" in it all. I recently heard a pastor make a statement about life not being fair & it caused me to recall something my dad used to say, "Life's not fair. The fair is where you ride rides & eat cotton candy." There's truth in that, but there's a comparison still. When life takes us in circles, tosses us every which way, over hills & through valleys, jerks us all around and makes us lose our lunch in the middle of it all, it's kinda hard to be happy about it. When we work and serve, love and share, and intercede in prayer--yet see little success in drawing others to the Lord, we sometimes see it as futile effort with little reward. but, we have to remember that our reward isn't here. It awaits us in Heaven. Others might question our sanity & wonder why we do what we do and follow this God of ours. The Bible say much about it. "Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." 1 Corinthians 15:58 "To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" Romans 2:7 "But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 "For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:" 1 Peter 2:15 "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." 2 Corinthians 9:6 And, there are many, many more Scripture references to the same effect. Don't worry, I won't try to cover them all. My point is simply that we must accept that hardships come, even to people of faith. The world is watching to see how we handle the difficulties we face. We grow through hard times because we find out what we're made of & capable of, through God's help & grace. We see God's faithfulness through our season of pain & struggle. It is not all for naught. There's purpose in the pain. We must persevere through it all. When we reach Heavens Gate, we'll hear God say, "Well done!" That's all the reward we need--then, not now! That's what we're waiting for. Nevermind the difficulties, nevermind the ridicule, nevermind it all! We must focus on our calling, be obedient to our Lord, pray through & push through. We must fight the good fight of faith in order to win the race & receive our reward--in eternity. Then will it be revealed how our lives impacted others & how many came to know God through the example of our lives. Then, we can cast our crown at the feet of Jesus and enter our eternal reward and rest in Heaven. Don't give up! Blessings! Tony