What Is This Good We Are to Not Tire of Doing?

So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.
Galatians 6: 9 (NLT)
Scripture: Galatians 6: 1-9

The Bible tells us to not tire in doing good (Gal. 6: 9). But what is it talking about? This devotion looks at how good is defined in this instance and how we can put that good into practice.

Cliff Notes

The message of Jesus, while building on the law of Moses, does not go back to it.
Christ has set us free from the law.
Believers are to tenderly restore other believers who have followed the false teachers back to the faith.
By not tiring in our support of other believers, we receive a blessing.

If we just look a Galatians 6: 9 by itself, we may believe we know what it is talking about. If we look at it within the context of the chapter — and whole book — we might realize some interesting things.

Let's Put It into Context

Paul was writing to the church he established in Galatia because there were wolves in the hen house. Some of the Jews were trying to convince the new believers that they had to do more than the gospel says.

To read Do We Still Have to Worry About False Teachers?, click the button below.

You see, the agitators were trying to convince the new believers that their way of thinking was what really led to salvation. But that was taking the emphasis off God and what He has called believers to do and be.

So, Paul was encouraging the church at Galatia to keep on track. But what was he really saying?

Good is what Paul originally preached to them — the message of Jesus. That can be a hard message to understand at times. “Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning” (Gal. 1: 11 NLT). With God’s help, though, we can understand it.

The false teachers wanted the new believers to do things their way — by going back to the law of Moses. They were trying to get the new believers to turn their focus to an add-on they were pushing. Paul wasn’t having anything of it. “Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ” (Gal. 3: 2 NLT). Christ is the center of the message.

What was the base? “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Gal. 5: 1 NLT). We don’t have to add anything to what God expects of us.

Paul tells us what is bad and good. The bad is what is valued by the world. “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God” (Gal. 5: 19-21). That is a pretty comprehensive list.

It seems like the good — the fruits of the spirit — has come up a lot in our discussions lately. “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Gal. 5: 22-23 NLT). These are how we show we have Christ in us.

What Is Good?

What Paul is talking about in Galatians 6 is restoring a believer who has gone astray. “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself” (Gal. 6: 1 NLT). Paul is telling us we need to help someone who has strayed to find their way back.

We are told to deal tenderly with those who are struggling with their faith. We are not to be judgmental. Neither are we supposed to ignore them.

We are to walk along side of them and help them bear their burdens. We are to “share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ” (Gal. 6: 2 NLT). We aren’t supposed to tuck tail and run away from them. We are to support them.

Reap a Blessing

Paul told us that we should not grow tired in doing this. It is our Christian duty to uphold other believers.

Too often, we are good at the beginning. We are committed and excited to do the work to which God has called us.

Then we get tired. Maybe we don’t see the results we were expecting. Maybe we don’t see them on our timetables.

We can’t give up. Yes, we want the blessing associated with doing God’s Will, but we also want to see a fellow believer restored to the right relationship with God.

What Does This Mean?

Unfortunately, believers do latch on to add-ons or go back to the bad ways. We have a duty to other believers to support each other. This could take many different forms. At the very minimum, we are to pray for each other.

But I think Paul is advocating for something a little more tangible here. He is talking service here.

We need to lovingly talk with fellow believers, patiently listen to what they are struggling with, and gently mentor them in their walk with the Lord.

How Do We Apply This?

I know that is hard. We either don’t want to stick our noses into their business, or we are so sure we aren’t the best believer for the job.

I think it is interesting that the fruits of the spirit are embedded in the book on false teachers and right before restoring a fellow believer. We are to show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, yada, yada, yada to our fellow believers.

Yes, we are to show yada, yada, yada to all. But how often do we really extend that to other believers?

We can be so judgmental to other believers. We think they should know better.

We forget how strongly Satan tries to tempt us. It can be very difficult to resist his temptations. We have difficulty. We shouldn’t judge others for struggling.

We need to figure out how to apply the fruits with fellow believers.

What ways can we show love to other believers?
How can we help them restore their joy in the Lord?
How do we help cultivate a peaceful atmosphere during their struggles?
How do we show them patience and help them to wait on the Lord for restoration?
How many different ways can we show them kindness, goodness, and gentleness?
How can we mentor them to return to faithfulness?
How can we help them grow in their self-control?

This needs to be done on a believer-to-believer basis.

God does not want believers to be at odds with each other. He wants us to model His love to each other and to non-believers. He wants us to support each other in our struggles.

Loving Father. You love us so much that You sent Your Son to die so that our relationship with You might be restored. You have told us that belief in Him is the only way we can be restored (Jn. 14: 6). Lord, Satan wants us to believe there is more that we need to do. Usually, he make us believe that we must be perfect in keeping Your commandments. Other times, it is how we must treat others. Lord, we know that the only way to be restored is to believe and repent. Nothing more — nothing less. Help us in our interactions with other believers. We pray that the fruits of the spirit are evident in our lives. Amen.

Seeking to imitate God in our lives