Don't lose heart

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. - Galatians 6.9

Wow. I can’t even begin to tell you how often I have had to turn to this passage.  We are now nearly 16 years into this church plant and though we have seen people saved and baptised and growing and established in the faith this little church just keeps plugging along with forward steps and backward steps. 2013 was a really good and hopeful  year. As the year ended we had seen a lot of positive things happen. 

But as we enter 2014 we see a year of challenges. The economy is still bad and there is talk of a couple of families in the church moving away. 

It gets tiresome. It gets wearisome. And it can be tempting to lose heart. 

But this a verse where I really wish I could cop on and learn the lesson. In 2002 our ministry suffered a huge setback. Within a few days in my personal devotions, in family devotions, and In a little devotional I did with Eoin back then the same encouragement came up. 'Dont be weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.' 

In other words, don't give up just because things get wearisome. 

All these years on the message is the same - don't quit. We are not always going to understand why some people thrive and prosper in visible way as and some just plug away and never see anything spectacular. 

I read just last week about Jim Eliot's brother Bert. Jim is famous. He was a spectacular brilliant meteor flashing across the sky. Praise God for his impact. Praise God for that short but bright light. 

Bert was just a constantly shine light. For 67 years he quietly ministered in Peru. He won souls. He started churches. He pulled teeth. And yet nobody ever wrote a book or made a movie about him. He and his wife just kept faithful and reaped what God had for him. 

So what do plodders do? We should not lose heart. We can't give up. We trust God to allow us to reap the blessings of our faithfulness. 

Question is 'do I have the faith to not lose heart?'