Difficult Labor For A Purpose

 “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9

It was my senior year of college and I was on the road to graduation…thinking about engagement…prayerful about if I was even going to be in the ministry full-time right out of college…needless to say, I was praying for a blessing. Lindsey and I were going on almost two years of dating and we were both saving up for Christmas presents for each other. I remember watching Lindsey work 40+ hours…while going to school full-time…while putting up with me (which was probably her hardest job!). And here Christmas time is right around the corner. She gave me my Christmas present before graduation…probably because I wouldn’t leave her alone about it, but when she handed me a small box, I wondered what it could be. I opened it and inside of the box was a brand new Citizen’s Eco-Drive watch. My jaw dropped. I said, “how did you afford this?” and she replied by saying, “I’ve been saving up for a while now.” I think you can only imagine what my feelings were in that moment. 

You cherish what is worth much to you. 

To me, the watch means more than the price tag on it. Sure, I could of sold it, used the money to pay off some debt, or could of even taken my wife to New York for a nice getaway, but I would never sell something that means so much to me. Some people that see me think it’s just “another watch.” Some might think “Oh, Stewart has all the money in the world! You can tell by that watch he wears!” The watch will tell time for only a number of years, but for the rest of my life, I will always see my wife’s face in the watch…and that’s the beauty of my watch. I will always remember what she went through to get me that watch.

Hard work pays off. 

When the Lord tells us to “not stop doing good, for we will reap a harvest later”, He literally means “don’t give up. For you will get back what you put into it.” Some say Scripture is a “metaphor”, but I see Scripture to be taken literal. When God says alcohol is bad for your body, or your temple is not yours – it’s God, He literally means it…and when He says He will hand you over to sinful flesh, because you choose your sinful flesh over Him, He literally means that. That is why homosexuality, alcoholism, drugs, immorality is as bad as it is today. We choose those things over God. That’s why Sodom and Gomorrah was burnt to the ground…men became infatuated with other men…women with other women…and the people of God went from being “the people of God” to “the people of self.” 

If you have an addiction, a problem, or a situation that you feel like you can’t win by yourself, don’t give up. Trust God. I know that’s easier said than done, but if you truly seek after God, and you truly give up your situation to God, and completely trust that He will do what you cannot, then you will learn what most people search their entire lives to find an answer for. People search for answers, but they give up too easily and that’s the reason why they never find the answer. They never hang onto God long enough to find out.

When seeking an answer from God, don’t give up and stop seeking Him. Your answer could be right around the corner.

“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” – Jeremiah 29:11-13