The Problem With Doing Good
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The Problem of Doing Good
We live in a world where evil is getting the headlines. The people of Las Vegas are reeling from the massacre that took place there.
Business Insider had an article in their Science section highlighting the recommendations of Neuroscientist Moran Cerf. He studies choices people make. He highlights six choices his research shows leads to a happy and productive life.
1. Choose your friends wisely.
2. Keep track of your luck. In other words, write down what happened when you took a risk.
3. Avoid data overload. Don’t look at the scales every day. Look at them once a month.
4. Create the right budget for you. In other words, make your budget based on the week, month, quarter or year depending on your circumstances.
5. Outsource your dating. In step with choosing friends wisely, listen to them when they comment on who you are seeing or if they say someone might be right for you.
6. Do good for others. Research confirms that helping others gives you a happier life.
Paul says:
9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
(ESV) —9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Paul repeats this same thought in
Paul repeats this same thought in
13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
(ESV) —13 As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.
The problem of doing good is that we will become weary. The result of weariness can be that we quit.
The problem of doing good is that we will become weary. The result of weariness can be that we quit.
36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work.
39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
(ESV) —36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.
When we quit, we affect our relationship with God and we affect other Christians.
When we quit, we affect our relationship with God and we affect other Christians.
9 Do your best to come to me soon.
10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
(ESV) —9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia.
"Deserted” is a strong word. Paul was affected when the people who worked with him walked away.
"Deserted” is a strong word. Paul was affected when the people who worked with him walked away.
What makes us weary?
What makes us weary?
The demands we put on ourselves and others increase our stress, which results in weariness.
The first demand is that we do not make mistakes.
The first demand is that we do not make mistakes.
Have you ever thought about how much stress you place on yourself if you don’t allow yourself to mess up?
If the cause of the problem is that you remember when you had time to prepare more and you didn’t use it when you thought of it, then make changes.
But so many have this free floating anxiety whenever something goes wrong.
This is interesting in light of our Christian message that Jesus came to save sinners. Who are sinners? Imperfect people! We get tired because our self-expectations are not met. We get tired because if a child is out of control, we beat ourselves up because if we were better and did everything right, this child would love us and do all we want.
We place a lot of stress on ourselves when we expect perfection. The Bible teaches sanctification. Part of sanctification is the idea of getting better. But behind the idea of getting better is the assumption that we are not perfect, that God is working in us, that we are in a process and have not yet fully arrived.
The second demand is that the right people will appreciate our work at the right time.
The second demand is that the right people will appreciate our work at the right time.
Many people have quit because they were not appreciated. What I mean is that other people did not appreciate them. God knew their labor of love, their work and he was pleased. But those who felt underappreciated.
Some of that falls on our shoulders as a church. We are called to encourage one another. When we don’t , people get weary in well-doing.
But some of that falls on us as workers. Are we working for the applause of other people or for God?
When we start meditating on how much we do and how little others appreciate us, we have taken our eyes off from the Lord Jesus, who had no support when he want to the cross. All his disciples fled from him. He even said, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Our mis-focus creates its own brand of weariness.
The third demand is that we control what goes on and the outcome of our ministry.
The third demand is that we control what goes on and the outcome of our ministry.
In other words, we want everything to work our perfectly the way we want. We want people to show up to help us on time, with a good attitude, and notice all that we want done without our telling them. We want our suggestions to be received without criticism. We want the outcome to be what we want it to be. The project will be done on time with high quality. The event will have a high attendance and many will be saved.
Wanting these things and demanding them are two different things. We can tell whether we are “wanting” or “demanding” by our reaction when it doesn’t go our way.
If we want things to happen and they don’t, we might be disappointed, but we will learn and try again.
If we demand that they happen a certain way and they don’t, we criticize others, complain loudly and may even quit. “I’ll never do that again!”
What are we to do if we are weary?
What are we to do if we are weary?
Jesus said:
(ESV) —28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Jesus said, Come unto me.
Jesus said, Come unto me.
If our work is wearing us down, we are to come to Jesus. He calls people who labor and have a heavy burden.
Is that you?
Are you struggling in ministry right now? Are the things that once brought you joy a burden? Come to Jesus.
Are you facing a difficult situation in your home? Are you losing sleep, suffering anxiety, fearful of what the outcome might be? Come to Jesus.
Is there secret sin in your life, that, if exposed, would cause you great embarrassment, pain or suffering? Is this secret pulling your down? Come to Jesus.
28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
(ESV) —28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
We think sometimes that rest is quitting. People have walked out of the church never to return to any church. People have moved from one church to another so they don’t have to face that burden they had in the previous church. People just take a break and never come off the break.
We think sometimes that rest is quitting. People have walked out of the church never to return to any church. People have moved from one church to another so they don’t have to face that burden they had in the previous church. People just take a break and never come off the break.
What many of us do not do is come to Jesus.
I would encourage any of you who have a heavy burden to get alone and talk to God about it. Lay it all out on the table. Let him know what he already knows, how you feel and where you are.
But when you come to Jesus and lay it out, don’t walk away. Don’t feel that because you have told Jesus all your troubles, that is the end of it. Jesus wants you to share, but then he wants you to listen to him.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matt 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Picture the yoke. A young ox is hitched to an older more experienced ox. They are joined together so the younger can learn from the older one.
Picture the yoke. A young ox is hitched to an older more experienced ox. They are joined together so the younger can learn from the older one.
Jesus wants you to come beside him. He doesn’t want to learn from you. He doesn’t need that. He doesn’t need us to tell him what to do, how to do it, or why to do it. He already knows.
When we are weary and are heavy laden, when ministry is a burden, we need to come beside Jesus to learn from him.
Jesus is not like some people. Some people who want you to learn how to swim will throw you in the water. Their idea is that you will have one chance to learn how to swim and that you will make the best of it. They are right 79.45% of the time. It’s cruel to do that to anyone.
But we all need a kick in the pants from time to time. We are slow to move forward in faith. We have talked for years about what we will do sometime. Sometime we will read our Bible. Sometime we will go to church. Sometime we will share the gospel with our friend. Sometime we will get involved.
If you are yoked to Jesus, you will move at his speed. He won’t go faster than you can go for he is gentle and lowly in heart. He also won’t go slower than you need to go because he will gently encourage you to keep up with him.
In other words, we find rest when we are moving in step with Jesus. When we make the demands and want things to be different than they are, we are asking for the impossible. What is; is. What can be in the future can change, but our weariness is often connected with our focus on the past and on ourselves.
What will we learn from Jesus? We will learn what he wants us to do, how he wants us to do it, and why he wants us to do what we are doing.
Let me apply this to myself so you can see the process.
What does God want me to do?
What does God want me to do?
God wants me to give you his message.
How does he want me to do it?
How does he want me to do it?
He wants me to do it through preaching, teaching, and in individual conversation or through writing.
Why does he want me to do it?
Why does he want me to do it?
God wants the church to hear his message. He choses to us people like me to get it out. So I need to be sure that I am giving people God’s message to them, rooted in the Bible and in such a way as to encourage them to faith and obedience.
However, God doesn’t want me to give you faith and obedience. He wants me to be faithful in giving the message. What you do with it is on your shoulders. If I demand that people respond to the message, I place an unreasonable demand on myself. If my demand is not met, I will grow weary and will be temped to quit.
The same is true in your life. You can apply this to your marriage, your raising of children, your work place and your community involvement.
What does God want you to do?
It may be that you shouldn’t do what you are doing, that those areas of involvement are not part of God’s plan for you and are diverting you from doing what God wants you to do.
One finds that by checking out the Bible. We are to be good spouses, good parents and children and good workers.
Why does God want you to be involved in those areas?
Your answer to that question will help you learn and carry the yoke.
How should you do what you are doing?
Again, are you doing what you are doing in tune with the Bible and the teachings of Jesus?
Let me tell you this. Jesus wants rest for your soul. He doesn’t want you to be weary in well doing. He invites you to come to him so that you can have this rest.
This rest is not physical rest. You may sleep at the end of the day. The rest is soul-rest, a spiritual rest that allows you to serve Jesus until he comes for you.
We need to pray for one another and encourage one another to come to Jesus. He will give us rest.