Jump Start # 3084

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

Doing good is good. Doing good is characteristic of the people of God. At the end of the Good Samaritan parable, Jesus said, “Go and DO thou likewise.” Do good. In Titus, “…our people must learn to engaged in good deeds to meet pressing needs.” Do good.

Our verse brings out a problem in doing good. Those that do good can get weary. They can lose heart. And, when that happens, they stop doing good. Discouragement takes over. That typically leads to complaining, bitterness and throwing in the towel on helping out anymore. It’s what Martha experienced. It wasn’t that she had to cook for Jesus and the apostles. She was bothered because she was left alone. She cooked and her sister sat. She did it all. She may not have burned the biscuits, but she certainly cooked her attitude. She wasn’t happy.

What Martha felt is what a lot of doers of good feel. They don’t mind serving, it just bothers them that they always have to serve while others sit idly on the sidelines of life. How often is it announced that teachers are needed for classes. No one steps up. No one volunteers. Finally, the tired soul who has been teaching nonstop for years offers to help. This is done more out of obligation and guilt than passion. None one else will. The call is made for a special clean up day around the church house. It’s the same ones that showed up last time. The smaller the congregation, the more this becomes a real burden. Worn out, burned out, stressed out and tired, the same ones take food for a funeral. It’s the same ones who have a visiting preacher in their homes. Same ones. How does one not get weary? How does one not get discouraged? How does one not think bad about others who never seem to do anything? Been there and have several T-shirts from that experience myself. The service you do can be ruined because, like Martha, you are upset with others.

Here are some thoughts:

First, Paul said to Titus said, our people must learn to engage in good deeds. This is something society doesn’t teach. Most homes do not teach this. Unless a person sees a positive upside to helping out, they won’t do it. Disciples are different. So, our people must be taught. They must be equipped as the Ephesians were told.

Instead of handing it all to someone, help them and teach them through baby steps. Co-teach with someone who hasn’t taught much. Help them to write out some lessons and allow them to teach a few times. Baby steps. Have a couple with a few others into your home for a dinner. Encourage one to do the same in their home, and offer to help them out. You may still be involved, but you are training, showing and teaching someone how to do things. Our people must learn.

Second, take a break when you can. This is something we preachers would do well to listen to. Coming up with ideas all the time for classes, sermons, blogs and podcasts can be tiring. The bucket can run dry. I’m asked often, “Do you ever run out of ideas to write Jump Starts about?” And, the answer is YES. I have something that helps me now, but there have been times when I sat looking at a blank computer screen wondering if anything would magically appear. Don’t become weary. Don’t lose heart. Those are the words from our verse. Take a break, but don’t quit. Wise shepherds will recognize this among their teachers and especially the preacher. He may need to be told to take a vacation. It will benefit him as well as the church.

Third, do what you can do. The overwhelming feeling comes from seeing so much that needs to be done and feeling that you have to do it all. You can’t. There is too much. Delegating others helps. I’ve found that many will do things if you ask them, but on their own they may never see what needs to be done. There are many office tasks that others can do so the preacher can get to what he needs to do.

Our verse, beside the negatives of losing heart and growing weary, also contains a promise and a blessing. There is a reaping that comes from the good that is done. It comes about in time. God recognizes. Heaven sees the cup of cold water that was given. The good that you do may not generate any thank yous. You may wonder why do such things, if no one seems to appreciate them. God does. God knows. There is a reward for the good that you do.

The heart of the kingdom has survived because of the many men and women who spent themselves doing good. They went out of their way. They did what no one else would. Those little Bible classes taught those young boys who grew up to be shepherds and preachers in God’s kingdom. The food that was shared, helped a new mom or someone recovering from surgery. You may not have heard, but there were prayers going upward with your name attached to them. You helped. You made a difference. Time, energy and resources that came out of your pocket helped others stay with the Lord. Your work and your impact is why others happily say that the congregation is loving, friendly and supportive. This description doesn’t come from the sideline people. It is said because you have the blisters on your hands, the mud on your feet, the sore back, the tired eyes, and yet onward you go. Another person to help. Another class to teach. Another way to shine your light. You are making Christianity visible, attractive and contagious.

Don’t lose heart…don’t get weary. The reward is just around the corner. To the work, to the work, is our call and our mission. If only others would join with us. But even if they don’t, we’ll work until Jesus comes.

Roger

Jump Start # 2871

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”

Our verse today is one of those reminders that we know so well, but it is good to look at over and over again. Do good. We all should do good. If one isn’t doing good, then he is either doing nothing or else, he is doing bad. And, neither one of those is acceptable.

These thoughts flow into the next verse where the apostle says to “do good to all men, especially those who are of the household of faith.” Doing good. Eating well and exercising, staying within your budget are all good things to do, but they are all directed inward, toward us. A person can do those things for a lifetime and still miss the direction of this passage. The doing good is not towards yourself but pointed to others. Do good to others. Look beyond yourself and do something worthwhile for others.

Now built within our verse today are some important thoughts for us to consider:

First, you are always needed to help others. One should never run out of things to do for others. There is always needs. Someone needs some encouragement. There is a card that needs to be sent to cheer up someone. There is someone that needs an hour of your time. There is someone that could use a helping hand on Saturday. There is a thank you text you ought to send to someone. Someone in the hospital. Some young preacher fresh out of the box preaching his first lessons. Someone who has buried a loved one. Someone who is struggling with addictions. Someone who has more bills than money. Someone in the congregation needs things. Someone in the neighborhood needs help. Someone at work needs help. There is always someone somewhere you has needs.

A Christian having nothing to do is not a good place to be. If that’s the case, open your eyes. Look around. Get connected with others. Go talk to the shepherds, they’ll put you in touch with those who you can do good to.

Second, because the needs are constant, one can get tired, very tired. And, when one gets to that place, the joy of serving turns into a burden. And that burden is what our passage is driving at. Losing heart and growing weary, at the front end and the back end of our passage, shows the danger that being overwhelmed can make one feel. Discouraged or losing heart comes from seeing more than you can do yourself. It comes from feeling that you are the only one doing things. It comes from wanting to fix every problem and help every person. And, when one becomes weary, it is easy to become cranky and complain. Our sweetness becomes sour. And the good we are trying to do is ruined because of a wrong attitude.

Paul’s words are simple: don’t go there. Don’t become weary. Don’t lose heart. Don’t allow the burden to destroy the good you are trying to do. Now, that sounds true and we understand that we shouldn’t go there, but how do we keep from losing heart and becoming weary?

First, understand you cannot solve every problem and you cannot help every person. If you try, you will be the one who needs help. You will need encouragement. Some of us struggle with this. We want to be in the middle and involved with every situation. We spend all day with people and all night on the phone. But you can’t. Jesus didn’t go into all the world. He used others, the apostles. And, even they couldn’t be everywhere. This is why we read of Paul sending Timothy, Titus and others to various places. Take off the cape. You are not Superman. You have limitations, responsibilities at home and needs to take care of yourself. A discouraged person cannot encourage, just as a broke person cannot lend money. So, there will be some people that you cannot help. There will be some that you cannot encourage. This does not mean you have failed nor let them down. You can only do so much.

Second, because the needs are so great and you are limited in what you can do, others need to help. This is why we are a team and a family in the congregation. You have your talents and others have their talents. There are shepherds and deacons and members. When everyone does what they can, even if it is little things, so much more can be accomplished. We may feel guilty when we hear of some taking food to someone and you didn’t. Someone helped a family unload boxes and you didn’t. You can’t be everywhere. Allow others to do things. It’s good for them and it helps them to grow and connect with others. Now, if you hear of others doing things and you don’t help anyone and you are not doing good to anyone, then the guilt you feel is deserved. Step it up. Get involved with your church family and those around you.

Third, as you do good, include others. This shows them, teaches them and allows them to practice doing good. This is especially true of young children. We are seeing a culture of selfishness and rudeness all around us. How you break that is to involve others in the good you are doing. Don’t shut the door on allowing others to help. Doing good isn’t your exclusive project. Little ones can go with you to take food. Little ones can color pictures and be mailed along with the cards you send. Little ones can pick up sticks, visit nursing homes and cheer up sad hearts. Not only does this teach others to be servants, it keeps a legacy of goodness being done. I’ve been at places when the people have wondered who will host the next generation of showers. Who will visit the hospitals when the current ones no longer can? Who will help when the helpers are no longer here?

Fourth, doing good for others means giving up of your time. It is a sacrifice. And those who are doing good right now, they have families and things to do at home. They have the same things as you do. But what they also have is a heart to serve and share. Yes, some are thankless for the good that you do. Do it anyway. Yes, others might have something to say about what you are doing. Do it anyway. Yes, there are times you’d like to just stay home and watch TV, but you don’t. You help. You do what you can to make life easier for others. You do this because this is what God wants you to do. You do this because this is the golden rule in practice. You do this because someone has been there for you. You do this because you can.

Do good—don’t lose heart and don’t get weary. Just do good.

Roger

Jump Start # 2568

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not grow weary.”

A friend asked recently how it was going with keeping up with technology and preaching via video. It’s been a month now. And, it may be another month still. Personally, I don’t like it. There are two aspects of preaching. One is taking the information, the word of God, and communicating it to the people. That, I feel, we are still doing very heavily. The other aspect is connecting that message to hearts. This is where distance hurts. Livestreaming and videos is a great way of teaching during our social distancing, but it’s just not the same as being there. We understand that in other areas. Someone shows us a picture taken from their vacation. It looks nice. They tell us, “this picture just isn’t like being there.”

Last century, in 1918, there was a massive Spanish flu epidemic that swept the country. Stores closed. Churches were ordered to stop meeting. People stayed home. But what was missing back then was the technological connections that we have today. There were several out in the rural communities who did not have phones in 1918. There were no videos being made of sermons. There were no means of recording sermons for most congregations. Brethren were left on their own. But, somehow they did it. They pulled from their faith what they believed and they continued to pray, worship and teach the Bible. Congregations did not collapse. There wasn’t widespread apostasy or falling away from God. Tough times called upon those believers to do what they could. They had been taught, prepared and equipped. They had built a foundation upon the rock. Now, when the storms of life came, they relied upon that faith and trust in the Lord.

As we continue on in our current storm, weariness becomes a real issue. The novelty of watching livestream and worshipping at home is exciting at first. But after a while it can become old. It’s important for parents to keep up with fresh ideas for Bible classes at home. Think of special things to pray about and have the children sing hymns with the parents. This is a good time for dads to teach their sons on how to lead public prayers. I know one family which has allowed a college age son to conduct the Lord’s Supper each week. He puts thoughts into what he is going to say. He leads the prayers. His dad said that when we are back together in the church building, he will be ready to lead the Lord’s Supper. What a powerful example for us. Those that know how to lead singing, teach your sons the fundamentals. Have them stand and lead the family in songs. There are some life long lessons that can benefit not only these young people but better help our congregations when this storm passes.

Our passage today carries three important strands of truth.

First, don’t get discouraged. That’s what the expression, “lose heart” means. Today, we simply say, “I don’t feel like it.” I don’t feel like being nice. I don’t feel like forgiving. I don’t feel like getting out of bed. Discouragement, your heart is not in it leads to one quitting, throwing in the towel and giving up. Paul’s words are: DON’T LOSE HEART. You do what you have to in order to keep your heart in the game. Few things are worse than a discouraged Christian. Such a person doesn’t have the hope and faith that he needs to have.

Second, keep doing good. The first, not losing heart, effects the second, doing good. We do good and no one appreciates it. No one says, “thank you.” No one notices. You wonder why should I keep doing this? No one seems to care. No one appreciates the time I put into this. I could just do what everyone else is doing. And, right then, discouragement takes over. Don’t do that, is what Paul says. Keep doing good. Heaven notices. Heaven notices a cup of cold water that you give (Mt 10:42). You don’t do these things for recognition, a shout out, or a pat on the back. You do them because it’s the right thing to do. Keep going. Keep it up. Don’t stop. Don’t take your foot off the accelerator. Do good. Engage in good deeds. Find more and more people to help. Find more and more ways to do good.

Third, in time we shall reap if we do not grow weary. God will bless you in His time. You are doing what is right and God will honor you. It may not be for a while. It may not even be here, but it will not be forgotten. Your reward in Heaven far outweighs any troubles you go through here.

This passage ends with this warning, “do not grow weary.” Do not lose heart and do not grow weary. Keep yourself fresh. Keep excited. Keep moving. Keep doing well.

Now, if you feel yourself slipping. You start to lose heart. You don’t feel like watching the livestreams anymore. You are not keeping up with your Bible classes. Reach out to one of the shepherds. Call the preacher. Let them talk to you for a while. Don’t sit back and allow your faith to go over the waterfall without trying. Don’t toss in the towel. You have so much going for you. This is so much better than what our forefathers went through in 1918. We have phones. We have texting. We have Facebook. We can be together even though we are not together. We don’t have to come up with our own sermons. We don’t have to have your own Bible classes. There are literally dozens and dozens of congregations and preachers that are putting out material every week. Blogs. Podcasts. Videos. You can have more encouragement now than you have ever had.

Someday this will be over. I’m already thinking about that first Sunday when we are all back together. Wow, won’t that be a great day. Together. Smiling faces. Babies crying. Our friends. Our teachers. Our preachers. Our shepherds. Can you imagine what singing will be like that first Sunday we are all back? Think about those prayers. Think about those classes.

Don’t lose heart and don’t get weary. Keep up the good you are doing.

Roger

Jump Start # 1748

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

  Keep doing good. That’s what this very verse is telling us. It comes before the great plea, “as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people…” Keep doing good. Don’t stop. Don’t get tired. Don’t get discouraged. Paul seems like a cheerleader on the sidelines trying to keep our spirits up. He is reminding us of the good that is being accomplished. The battle isn’t over yet. Keep at it, boys!

All of this makes perfect sense until you have to try to convince someone who has grown weary. He is losing heart. He’s there. He’s tired. He was a preacher who sat in my office recently. We talked. He’s talented and has done good with the churches he has worked with. He has a good reputation and is a hard worker. He’s a pace setter for most of us preachers. But now, he was losing heart. He was weary. He was where the apostle said don’t go there. He talked about quitting.

This was a difficult discussion for me. I’ve advised many young preachers. This one was my age. This one knew the Bible. This one hadn’t been lazy. He has done more than most of us ever will. I wondered what brought this on? Why? Trouble at home? Trouble with the folks at the church? Not seeing eye to eye with the shepherds? Time to think about moving? We raced through all of those topics. Nothing. He was simply tired. He didn’t want to move. That meant still doing what he was doing. He was tired of preaching. He was noticing men his age retiring. He couldn’t. I think that bothered him. The newly retired people were traveling. He couldn’t. They were staying home and watching movies. He couldn’t. He had preaching to do. I suggested a vacation. Get away for awhile. That didn’t seem to be the right answer either. Even while on vacation, he reminded me, the preacher must be thinking about sermons to preach when he got home. His work was becoming a ball and chain to him. I reminded him that if he wasn’t careful, he would begin to dread preaching. It would effect his ability. It would show.

This soldier of the cross was tired. What do you tell a tired preacher? How do you encourage an encourager? What do you say to someone who has been doing good for so long and seemingly has many more years left in him? Is he washed up? Did he burn out? Is it good for him to quit? All these things were racing through my mind. He came to me. He wanted my help. What would I say? I prayed to myself. I thought as he talked. I listened. I looked into those tired eyes. It is funny, I had always figured that it would be he that would advise me, not the other way around.

Two things came to my mind.

I took him to Jesus. I reminded him of the great work that the Lord had done. I showed him my “yellow folder.” It’s a collection of emails, cards and letters through the years that were written to me because of things I had done or said to others. We read a few of them. A mother thanked me for the words of comfort at her daughter’s funeral that I had preached. A young couple thanked me for doing their wedding. Emails from the Jump Start readers. A thank you here. A ‘you made a difference in my life’ there. A ‘That helped me.’ ‘That answered a question I had.’ I told him when I first started preaching I started collecting and saving those kinds of responses. Often I just stuck them in my “Yellow folder,” which is in the bottom of one of the file cabinets. I rarely re-read these, except when I’m wondering if I am doing any good. I told him that all of us that are doing God’s work have a folder, I just happen to have an actual one. There are people sprinkled all over the country that has been touched, taught, changed and helped by the preaching done by that man. He thought for a moment. He wiped his eyes, as tears started to fall. He apologized for being so much trouble to me. It seems that he had forgotten the good that he had done.

The second thing I did was show him a picture I have that hangs on the wall. It’s called, “Legacy.” It’s a print of a preacher. He’s wearing a cool looking tie. Standing behind him, off both shoulders, in a shadowy, less obvious image, are what appears to be ancient preachers. Maybe apostles. Maybe prophets. They stand shoulder to shoulder with the preacher. One even has his hand on the preacher’s shoulder. The idea is very clear. The preacher in the print was carrying on the legacy of teaching God’s word to a new generation. Just as those old prophets, standing behind him and with him had done, so is he doing. People are counting on that preacher to carry on with the teaching of God’s word. People needed him to sound forth God’s word. We looked at that picture. I asked him to go back a few generations and put names to those faces. Men who had worn themselves out preaching God’s word. Names like Robert Jackson, David Lipscomb, McGarvey, J.C. Roady, all the way back to some of the earliest preachers in this country. We laughed at how the times had changed. Can you imagine, we said, some of those old guys, using powerpoint, Facebook, and Twitter? We wondered what the apostle Paul would have thought about ear piece microphones and live streaming? We talked about our early days of preaching, back before most of us had computers. We talked about overhead projectors and how we thought that was the coolest thing ever invented. Look where we are today. He got it. He realized that he was continuing the legacy that was started with the Lord. The torch has been passed to us. What would happen if we dropped that torch? What would have happened had someone upstream dropped it years ago? It’s been handed to us.

I reminded him of that wonderful promise in Revelation where the righteous will rest from their labors. He was working hard and someday he would enjoy a sweet rest with the Lord.

Weariness from labor is something that is rarely looked at. We spend so much time trying to get people busy, that we forget about those that are laboring so hard. Day in and day out, preaching, teaching, helping others. The weary heart can lead to some dark places. Elijah felt that way. He thought he was the only one doing right. He was ready for the Lord to take him. God wasn’t feeling that way. He told Elijah to get out of the cave and go appoint someone king. God reminded Elijah that there were thousands who had not bowed their knees to Baal.

Sometimes we over burden ourselves. We take on more than we can handle. Some times instead of passing work on to others, we just do it ourselves. I’m that way to a fault. I want things to be just right. It’s just easier for me to do it than it is to show someone else. But in doing that, the work adds up. More and more.

God bless the tired workers who are doing so much. There are many work horses out there who are laboring so hard for the Lord. They’ll never stop until the Lord stops them. They see others their age and even younger, who retire and do not have to worry about money. They travel and for a moment, these hard working preachers feel a bit jealous. It can take their breath away. But back to the fields they return. There is more to be done before this day is over.

I must confess that this preacher that came to my office was me. This conversation took place in my mind. I was the one who felt so weary that I just wanted to quit. I am better. I talked to myself and told myself the very things that I shared with you. I think more needs to be looked at from the standpoint of the weary worker. It’s hard to explain, but I doubt that I’m the only one who has been there.

I share this to both be honest and hopefully to help others who are there. Catch your breath weary soldiers, and get back into the game. God needs you and we need you.

Thank you,

Roger

Jump Start # 1735

Galatians 6:9 “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”

  A Jump Start reader asked if I would write about this verse. She couldn’t find any earlier Jump Starts on this passage. Before I comment, a couple of thoughts.

For those that do not know, there is a Jump Start website (www.Jumpstartsdaily.com) that allows you to search previous Jump Starts by date, number or passage. This is helpful if you are wanting some thoughts for a class, bulletin or to use for an invitation. There is a search engine that allows a person to type in certain words and it will take you to the Jump Starts using that word.

Second, I am amazed that anyone would want to know what I think about a passage. This whole Jump Start journey continues to be beyond my comprehension. Our list of readers continues to grow and more and more are finding ways to use these articles to reach and help others. It is simply amazing to me.

Now, our verse. There seems to be four components to this passage.

First, there is the togetherness. It is expressed by the words, “Let us.” I like that. Sometimes we preachers like to tell the audience what to do, but we do not include ourselves. Paul did not say, “You need to…” He said, “Let us.” This thought is used three times in Hebrews 10. There we find, “Let us draw near…” (22); “Let us hold fast…” (23); and “let us consider how…” (24). Let us. We are in this together. The work is too much for any one of us. We need each other. Every organization, every team, and every church needs the spirit of “let us” to be successful. The quarterback can’t make it without linemen, receivers, coaches, equipment men, administration personnel,  and even the guy who sells the tickets. Different roles, but all connected. So it is in the church. Some preach. Some shepherd. Some invite. Some serve. Some support. Everyone has a role. We need to lose the “me” verse “them” way of thinking. It’s us. It’s “let us.”

Second, don’t lose heart in doing good. The “losing heart,” means to become discouraged. We’d say it this way, “I don’t feel like it,” or, “my heart is not in it anymore.” That person has “lost heart.” In Luke, Jesus told the disciples to pray at all times and not to lose heart. John 14 begins with the thought, “Let not your heart be troubled.” Why would one become discouraged in doing good? That’s hard for some to see. Others, know this. They have experienced it. The losing heart seems to be connected with the final expression in this verse, “grow weary.” That’s the cause of losing heart. They became tired. Tired of always being the one who takes meals. Tired of being the one who is always teaching class. Tired of being the one who is always the encourager. Tired of carrying the load. Tired of shepherding. Tired of being the “faithful few.” Why don’t others do it for a change? Why don’t the young folks step up? If I don’t do it, it will not get done. Boy, I know that song. I’ve sung it too many times, myself. From this weariness comes discouragement then comes the Elijah syndrome. Remember ole’ Elijah, hiding in the cave to escape Jezebel’s assassins? He was ready for God to take him. He was the only one, he thought. No one else was doing anything. He must have been singing, “Gloom, despair and agony on me,” in that dark cave. Pitiful me. Woe is me. God had to remind Elijah that there were thousands who had not bowed their knees to Baal. He didn’t know about them. He wasn’t the only one. He was not stranded on the island of misfits, as he so believed.

Losing heart will cause one to quit. He will walk away and never come back. It’s good to take a break. It’s good to get away. It’s good to catch your breath, refocus, recharge your batteries, but get back in there. You are needed. You are doing good. You are making a difference. Your efforts matter. Your example is helpful and encouraging. If you stop, you’ll be just like the ones you complain about. No, there won’t be a banner with your name on it stretched across the auditorium on Sunday. No, there won’t be a banquet in your honor. No, you probably won’t even be mentioned in the bulletin or get a shout out from the pulpit. That would take away from the good that you are doing. You do what you do because it’s the right thing and it’s necessary.

Third, in due time we shall reap. Payday is coming. Payday comes after you have first worked. The reaping is what the five talent man witnessed when his master praised him for doing good. Reaping may come in several forms. We first think of Heaven. The crown of righteousness that awaits us. That’s the truest sense of reaping. But there are other forms of reaping. It’s seeing children learning and doing well because you have taught them. It’s family members who are changing because you have influenced them. It’s seeing people in the audience who came because you invited them. It’s seeing a young man preach because you spent time with him and encouraged him. It’s seeing marriages saved and thriving again. It’s seeing people conquer their addictions. It’s seeing the church reaching others and becoming stronger because you poured hours into leading them. Sure the benefits are Heaven, but there are many, many other benefits right now. Most of us are where we are today because of someone else. A parent, a friend, a preacher, an elder, poured hours into us. They wouldn’t quit. They never gave up on us. And today, we stand tall because of their work. We are the harvest of the work of others.

There is a “due time” that comes before the reaping. Farmers understand this. They plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. They have to wait. There is no short cuts that allows them to plant and harvest in the same week. Due time means simple that. It takes time. Patience. Waiting. Still doing good. In time it will show. It will show in grown children. It will show in mature Christians. It will show in stronger faith.

Finally, all of this is based upon not growing weary. IF we do not grow weary. IF. A big IF. Satan is counting on you not making it. Satan is hoping that you will get weary. He wants you to become discouraged. He wants good to stop. Keep going, is what Paul is saying. Hebrews reminds us that we have not endured to the point of shedding blood. Yes, you are tired. Keep going. Yes, there is so much to be done. Keep going.

The next verse connects to all of this. “While we have opportunity, let us do good to all…” While the door is  open. Get up. I know you are tired. Get off the couch. Another study. Another phone call. Another meal to make. Another class to teach. Another chance to do good.

Some day the opportunity will be gone. The person will move on, things change and the window of making a difference closes. Someday we will not be in the position to do much good. Health and age will take it’s toll upon us. I have been preaching about 40 years, 36 of those have been full time. For the first time in my life, I have been thinking about when will it be time for me to call it quits. “While we have opportunity,” won’t always be there. The end is closer than it has ever been for me. This is why we must do good.

God has made us in such a way that all of us can do good. Not everyone can preach, nor do we need everyone to preach. Not everyone can say the right words of encouragement. Not everyone is gifted at inviting folks to services. Not everyone can teach. Not everyone can cook a meal and take it to someone. But we all can do something. Even the one talent man had one talent. That may be all you have. That’s fine. Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t complain about what you can’t do. Just get busy and “let us not lose heart in doing good…”

Off the sidelines and into the game of life, that ‘s what God wants. It’s easy to point out the problems. Help be a part of the solution. Don’t wait for others. They are probably waiting on you. Jump in. Get involved. Do what you can.

That’s the thoughts. Now, let’s do it.

Roger