RESOLUTIONS: Daily Reading Plan #6
Galatians 6:9
"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." - Galatians 6:9
Paul urges the Galatians not to grow tired of doing good. Doing good is hard work, especially if someone begins to doubt whether it matters. Paul is urging the Galatians to keep living in a way that is consistent with what they believe. They are free people in Christ, and God's Spirit is with them. Eventually, the crop of eternal life will come up and they will see it for themselves.
In a more immediate sense, the good works the Galatians are doing in the power of the Spirit will also bear fruit. God will often allow His people to see how their investment of themselves to do good matters both in this life and in the life to come.
Romans 12:11
"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." - Romans 12:11
In the previous verse, Paul commanded Christians to seek to outdo each other in showing honor to one another. Now he writes that we must not be lazy in our enthusiasm. The two commands may well be related. Paul is urging us to be energetic in our attempts to give honor to each other. It may be that he is urging us to live with zeal or enthusiasm, in general, to remain focused, intentional, and positive about our purpose in treating each other well in the body of Christ.
He ramps the idea of enthusiasm up another notch by adding that we must be fervent in spirit; we must keep our spiritual fervor. The Greek word here is zeontes, related to the root word for "life," and the phrase could literally be translated that we must be boiling in our spirit. This could either mean that we must keep up our own spirits or that we should be set on fire by God's Spirit in us. In either case, this is a clear call from Paul to avoid allowing ourselves to become bored or tepid as we pursue our purpose as believers.
There is an appropriate target for this energy and enthusiasm: serving the Lord. That's the final command in the verse. Connecting that together, Paul is urging us to be "all in," both spiritually and emotionally, when it comes to serving the Lord and serving each other.
Reflection Questions
- What do these verses say about the effort we give in our plans?
- What do these verses call me to do as a result of taking them to heart?
