It turns out that doing good can lead to discouragement. As a rule, this happens for one simple reason: when doing good, we subconsciously expect a person to do good in return. But that doesn't always happen.
Of course, there are people who are grateful, who understand and appreciate what we do, and in return for kindness, they also return kindness to us. But there are people to whom we do good, and in return we receive evil from them. Because of this, some people give up, and some even say: “If you want not to be harmed, then it’s better not to do good to anyone.” But this is not a biblical statement. Scripture teaches us otherwise: no matter how they treat you and what they do to you, you are obliged to do good always and to everyone.
Let's open Gal. 6:9: "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not faint." This is a very big verse. It has a simple call: do not stop and do not stop doing good. Even if everything around you is bad and it seems that no one needs it. God knows and sees everything. And there is not a single good deed of ours that is not taken into account by God. Christ said it best: “Even if you give a cup of water, you will not be left without a reward.” God even considers such an act, although humanly it is a very small act.
This verse also says that if we do good and do not lose heart, we will reap in due time. But then there is still a remark: if we do not weaken. In other words: if we don't stop. The words in the Bible "in due time" irritate some of us. I would like for a good deed and reward to come immediately. But that doesn't happen, and the Bible doesn't say it. The Bible says "in due time" and only God knows that time. For all the good that we do in our lives, we will definitely receive a reward. It also applies to the bad.
If you have noticed, when we do bad deeds, we do not immediately receive punishment for them. Why do some people become hardened and persist in doing bad things? Because there is no instant punishment. So people don't worry. They are used to the fact that once passed without punishment, the second, third and tenth time without punishment - and continue on. Some, looking at them, even come to the strange conclusion that there is no God at all. But, as a rule, retribution comes suddenly. Both good and bad. Very often it comes at the most unexpected moment for us. What a man sows, that he will reap. Whoever sows good will reap blessings, and whoever sows evil will receive a curse. These are very simple biblical principles. And another very important point: more is rewarded than what we sow. This applies to both good and bad.
Let's open Galatians 6:10: "Therefore, while there is time, let us do good to all, but especially to our own by faith." If my hand can do something and there is a desire in my heart, I must do it. Not expecting a reward from a person and not expecting that he will say “thank you” to me.
Very often people fall into the trap of thinking that if they do good, they will be reciprocated in kind. Don't act like that. If you do good, then do it as for the Lord. Then there will be no problem with resentment. When you do good, don't expect to be rewarded. When we do good, we do what is right because God said so. A memorial book is written before the face of God, and there is not a single good deed of ours that is not taken into account there. And sooner or later the reward will come.
Let us open Acts 10:1-2: “In Caesarea there was a certain man named Cornelius, a centurion from the regiment called Italian, pious and fearing God with all his household, doing much alms to the people and always praying to God.” I want to point out that Cornelius was a military man. A military man follows orders and does not always do good. But in the Bible he is described as a godly and God-fearing man who did much mercy. Grace is not deserved encouragement. A good person receives from his heart the desire to do good. Most of us have experienced a state when we did something good and we ourselves feel good about it. At the same time, we don’t care if they say “thank you” or not.
So the man of God is looking for opportunities to do good to someone. This distinguishes the righteous from the sinner. A person who is sinful in his consciousness has other motives in his heart. It is written about such a person that he, like a washed pig, again goes to wallow in the mud. Because this is his nature, these are the motives of his heart, and such a person is drawn to commit sin. But a righteous person is not a person who never makes mistakes or does bad deeds. The righteous is the person who, while doing evil, suffers himself. His heart condemns him. And when he does good, he enjoys. This brings him inner satisfaction, this is his nature. Now, if we are righteous by nature, then doing good, we get satisfaction. If not, then vice versa: by doing evil, we get satisfaction.
What happened to Cornelius then? Let us read further in the book of Acts 10:3-4: “He clearly saw in a vision about the ninth hour of the day the Angel of God, who came in to him and said to him: Cornelius! He, looking at him and being afraid, said: what, Lord? The angel answered him: your prayers and your alms have come to the memory before God. It turns out that everything that Cornelius did was taken into account and at one fine moment a reward came for the good that he did.
Cornelius was a man, by nature, pious. But he who did not know Christ, did not have salvation. And God sends the Apostle Peter himself to his house. The Apostle Peter did not come to every house. When the apostles performed their ministry, there were cases when people received healing only from the shadow of the apostles passing by them. And rarely did anyone have such an honor that an apostle would come to his house and serve him. And it was revealed to Cornelius that a man would come to him and speak words to him by which he would be saved.
Salvation comes through faith. And in order to believe, you need someone to say, and I heard it. And so the Apostle Peter served in the house of Cornelius. It was a wonderful service that ended with a general baptism. But it happened because there was a causal relationship. The angel told Cornelius that his alms and his prayers came to mind before God. Therefore, a blessing came into the life of Cornelius.
By the way, in this passage of Scripture it is shown that a person who does not know Christ can pray and be heard by God. Cornelius was a pious man, and he could not help but pray and do alms. It was part of his nature.
Jesus said that a good person brings good things out of his heart, and an evil person brings evil things out of his heart. What is in our heart affects what happens in our lives. And a good person cannot act differently, because. it is part of himself.
As an example, let's read from the Old Testament what happened during the time of King Artaxerxes and Mordecai. In general, I understand this passage of Scripture as a prototype of what is happening in heaven. Of course, this image cannot be transferred literally to the relationship of man with God. But this image shows the very principle of how our deeds come to mind before God.
Let's open Esther 6:1-2: “That night the Lord took away sleep from the king, and he ordered to bring a memorial book of the day's records; and they read them before the king, and it was found written there, as Mordecai reported on Gabatha and Terah, two royal eunuchs who guarded the threshold, who plotted to lay hands on King Artaxerxes. Those. in his time, Mordecai did the right thing: he prevented an attempt on the king, prevented a rebellion. And when he did, no one thanked him. All attention was focused on the king. And Mordecai could be offended and upset: “Why did I do such a thing, but they didn’t even say thanks to me.” But Mordecai was not such a person.
And we read further Esther 6:3: “And the king said: what honor and honor was given to Mordecai for this? And the servants of the king who served with him said, “Nothing has been done to him.” Mordecai practically saved Artaxerxes' life, but no one thanked him for it. Forgot. Sometimes they forget because of grief, and sometimes because of joy. And as the apostle Paul says: “When doing good, do not be discouraged, do not weaken.” Because even if people didn't notice it for some reason, God knows it. And the reward will come from God.
And so King Artaxerxes called his servants and one of them, Haman, asked: “What would you do to a person whom you would like to thank? Haman thought that he was talking about him, and wished to be dressed in royal clothes and mounted on a royal horse, etc. When the king heard all this, he said to Haman: "Go and do all this for Mordecai." Of course, Haman was shocked by this, because he was an enemy of Mordecai and was plotting to destroy him in general. But it turned out the opposite. If your ways are pleasing to God, then a blessing from God will come. And if you dig under someone, then you yourself will fall into this hole. This is the principle of God.
Sometimes when some Christians plan for themselves that someone should do something for them or give them something, often expecting to get it from a particular person, strange things happen. The way they plan for themselves does not happen. God destroys this so that in our hope we do not rely on man. Set your bread on the waters and forget about it. Do righteousness, do good, and your righteousness will go before you. In most cases, rewards come from unexpected sources. God has the heart of every person in his hands. And if you walk before God, then He can dispose to you such a person, whom you would never in your life think that he is capable of some kind of good. Therefore, whatever you do, do as for the Lord. Please, first of all, God, not man. And that's called service.
God, speaking through the prophet to his people, says: "Why are you talking insolence before Me." Let's open Mal.3:14-15: “You say: “It is in vain to serve God, and what good is it that we kept His ordinances and walked in sad clothes before the presence of the Lord of hosts? And now we consider the arrogant happy: those who work iniquity are better off, and although they tempt God, they remain intact. I think many Christians have had this thought. The wicked arrange their lives better and, which is characteristic, live and live well at the same time. We sometimes really want the person who has done evil to us to be immediately punished. But the Lord says, "Give judgment to Me." What does it mean to give judgment to God? This means that as God wants, let him deal with such a person. And it happens that strange things happen: a person has done evil, and he has become even better than he was. And you think: “Where is God and where is justice?”. And then we begin to speak bold words before God. But it's not right.
No matter what, do good and reap in due time if you don't stop. “But those who fear God say to each other: “The Lord listens and hears this, and before His face a book of remembrance is written for those who fear the Lord and honor His name.” Mal. 3:16. Those. God has a book of remembrance for those who do good. It turns out almost like the king Artaxerxes. But retribution does not come from God all at once; it comes in due time.
Further Mal. 3:17-18 “And they will be mine, says the Lord of hosts, my property in the day that I make, and I will have mercy on them, as a man has mercy on his son who serves him. And then you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not serve him.” The time will come when God will speak His word. And God says you'll see the difference between those who served Him and those who didn't. If we do not weaken, i.e. if we don't stop doing good. This is a very important point.
We often meet people who do something, and then stop, they give up. The main reason for this is that they lose touch with God. A person who has a connection with God will never weaken. Jesus came to give us life and abundant life. This life is within us and it makes us act not logically for this world, act in a worldly way is not reasonable. Especially when a person does evil to you, and you do good to him in return. And the worldly person will look at you as if you were strange. And Jesus said that we should do good to those who offend us. And the reward will surely come. And the same retribution will come to those who do evil.
When we do something for God, we will receive our reward. Perhaps we will not receive it in earthly life, but we will receive it in eternity, which is much more important and valuable. Everything that we have here on earth, we will leave anyway, it is all temporary. But there is eternal, incorruptible wealth. And we must be rich spiritually.
In the book of Revelation, an angel of God, addressing one of the Churches, says: "You are poor, but in other ways you are rich." Material poverty does not make us spiritually poor. God's man is rich spiritually, regardless of his material condition. Never put an equal sign between spiritual and material wealth. You can be very rich materially and still be poor spiritually. Remember what happened to King Belshazzar. From God it was said to him: "You have been weighed in the balance and found light." Although he was an incredibly rich man. Every day he arranged huge feasts and allowed himself all the best that was at that time. By our modern standards, he was very "cool". But God told him: "You are empty and mean nothing in My eyes." And vice versa: there are poor people, who practically own nothing, but they have inner spiritual wealth and they can be called people with a capital letter. This inner wealth is their good deeds, their actions that they perform, regardless of anything.
There are many examples when, after the revolution of 1917. noblemen were imprisoned, and they observed etiquette there, observed good manners and were morally on top. Because they have it, so to speak, in their blood, it is their nature. And if a person goes from rags to riches, then even when he is a prince, he still behaves like a pig. It is also his nature. And there are plenty of such examples in our time. But we must understand that God calls us to do good. I would say: "Do not miss a single opportunity to do good."
Let's turn to Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people." We all like it. We are saved by grace. But some people turn this grace into an occasion for debauchery. But then the apostle Paul clearly wrote that if you have accepted grace, then it will definitely teach you something. If you do not change and do not become better, then think about whether you have received the grace of God at all? Let's read the post. Titus 2:12: “[Grace] teaching us that, having cast off ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live chastely, righteously, and godly in this present age.” Those. a person who has received salvation cannot but change. If repentance is real, then with such repentance there will certainly be fruits. Because sooner or later a good tree will start bearing good fruit.
Last to Titus 2:13-14: “Looking forward to the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, to deliver us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a special people, zealous for good works.” That is why a Christian must be special. He must be zealous for good deeds. This should be the nature of a Christian. If this is not in your heart, then it means that you did not accept the grace of God, or you lost fellowship with God, and because you did good to someone, and they answered you with evil, your heart hardened. But the man of God, in spite of everything, continues to do good. Because if he does not do good, he will suffer.
The apostle Paul says of himself: "Woe to me when I do not preach." Because the apostle Paul received the grace of God to preach. And if a person endowed with grace does not do what God calls him to, he suffers. And sometimes a person does what God calls him to, even if it is unprofitable for him, if he has to lose something. He cannot do otherwise.
When David came to the front to visit his brothers, there was a great warrior Goliath in the opposing army, who frightened everyone with his huge militant appearance. He was over three meters tall. And he said that if anyone comes out and can defeat him, then the whole army will surrender. And there were many strong and strong warriors. King Saul himself was very strong and strong, but he was afraid of Goliath, because. he did not have the grace to defeat Goliath. But then a young, undersized David came out, who humanly put his life in danger. It was a matter of life and death: either Goliath would crush him like a bug, or David would defeat him. And David won the victory, and the glory of God appeared. David could not do otherwise, because. it was his calling, and for that he had the grace of God. Why am I giving this example? It is written in the Bible that grace is given to each of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
If we have fellowship with God, then it lives in us. Jesus gives us life and abundant life. And we cannot do otherwise. When there is a need for some work, the person called to it responds. And if he does not respond, he will feel dissatisfied. Such a person goes, does good and does the will of God.
God cleansed for himself a people zealous for good deeds. And God does not force anyone, God inspires people and gives them grace. A person participates in something because he wants it, and not because he was forced to. And if you set an example with your deeds, you will be authoritative in the eyes of people, and people will follow you. If you have a relationship with God, if you do His will, you release His grace. God called David and raised him up. I say this with one purpose: if you have something in your heart that burns, be sure to do it. Because by releasing this grace, you will receive a greater one. But what happens to us sometimes? We start and weaken. This is the problem. And, as a rule, almost everyone starts well, but not everyone ends well. And God values us not by undertaking, not by intention. He values us by our action, God values our faithfulness to Him.
God puts His desire into the heart of man. Those. God works in us to will and act according to His good pleasure. And so, when such a desire appears in our heart, we light up, and we want to do it, and we begin to do it. But the truth of life is that not everything works out at once. But we are required, in spite of everything, to remain faithful to God, faithful to our calling. Although many are tempted, changing their calling, exchanging God's grace for temporary sinful pleasures. But it is very important to remember that if you have kept your calling, fulfilled what God calls for, then you will surely reap in due time. God does not scatter His servants, they are valuable to Him. Even if they fall, they still have a calling. And God is able to raise, restore and use such a person.
I encourage you to seek God's face, to receive God's grace. If we lose the fire in the heart, there is only one reason: we have lost touch with God. On the one hand, when we serve God, it is difficult, but on the other hand, it is easy, because God is behind it. And then what will happen in our life is what is written in the Bible: "God will give us incomparably more than what we ask and think about." But there is a condition: if we do not weaken.
Our human strength is not enough for this, so we come to God and look for His face, and strength is renewed again. And we are not strengthened by the gratitude that comes from people, but we are strengthened by the Lord and the power of His strength. And even a person in years will feel this power in himself. There are older people in our Church who do things that neither young nor middle-aged people can do. They serve God and bear fruit for Him. And it is written that such people who serve God will receive an unfading crown of glory.
In the book of Revelation, God, speaking to the Church, says: "See that no one take your crown." Of course, if you don't, God will send another person, He will find someone who will say, "I agree." But this takes time. When God calls me to something, but I don't do it, it takes time to raise another person, and God's intention will still come true. But it's better if it was me.
And each of us faces such a choice: either I will take up my cross every day and follow Him, or I will give this cross to someone and live my life. The apostle Paul says that we, having freedom, do not turn it into an occasion for pleasing our flesh. Pleasing your flesh is not necessarily fornication, drug addiction, gluttony, etc. I can be quite a decent, intelligent person, but live only for myself. And how many deceived people today, who live only for themselves, live in their own virtual world. Therefore, we must be attentive to how we live and why we live at all.
Most people in the world live with one goal: to find a good job, to have a good salary, in order to dress better, eat better and rest better. And how are such people different from animals? Just because they have the best rest, the best food, and so on. But the essence is the same. But man is different from the animal, man was created by God in His image and likeness. And man must have communion with his Creator and do His will. And when I have a purpose from God, then I am a man. Therefore, we must seek the face of God and, in doing good, do not faint.
I would like to talk with you about why, with full hope in God's help, we sometimes fail to get an answer. And how patience can help us in such a case. What is patience and how can it help us?
Let's read a passage from the Bible first. “Doing good, let us not lose heart, for in due time we will reap, if we do not weaken."" Galatians 6:9 "
Reap if you don't get weak. So what is the cause of our weakness, what is it expressed in?
In other words, if our infirmities do not take possession of us, then we will definitely be able to reap everything that we have sown. So what are our weaknesses, infirmities. The first reason is our general lack of trust in the Lord. It was for this reason that Abraham could not fulfill the will of the Lord and gave birth to Ishmael, despite the fact that he knew that it was Sarah who should give birth to the child promised by the Lord, that is, Isaac.
We do not wait for an answer from God, and we begin to replace it with something of our own, at least somehow trying to calm ourselves. And if the Lord waited for Moses for forty years, Abraham for 25 years until he could be ready to fulfill the will of the Lord. If we talk about David, then he did not immediately become king for about thirty years of wandering abroad, and only when he fully knew his dependence on God, then he became king, but still he made two mistakes, Bathsheba and the census, for his vanity.
So it is the lack of trust that prevents us from how to deal with it. Mortify your own, humble yourself under the strong hand of the Lord, may He exalt us in due time. It is humility that means finding the strength in yourself not to make a mistake, but to wait your time. And there will definitely be fruits, this applies to both service and growth in life.
The second thing that prevents us from waiting for an answer sometimes is our indecision. That is uncertainty. If we set any goal in our life, it must be at least specific. For example, you started the ministry, for example, you want your husband to change and be more of a believer than he is now. Then you need to remember this all your life, the goal of your life is to change your husband, pray, fast, but not when not to forget your dream, and achieve it with the help of the Lord.
No matter how hard it was for Joseph, he had a dream that always moved him forward, she led him along. Being betrayed by his brothers, having ended up in prison undeservedly, he did not forget the dream that the Lord had given him. Therefore, he did not weaken, and in the end he won and reaped what he sowed in life. Patience and a little effort. But they will grind it only when there is a definite and specific goal of labor or, let's say, dreams.
The next reason why we often lose control over ourselves when we are weak and abandon our spiritual garden of answers from the Lord is the thorns of sin. It is sin that leads us.
Where there is sin, there will never be a big answer from the Lord if, for example, you want to become the president of a company, but you constantly catch yourself neglecting those who are somehow different from you, for example, a person studied worse than you at an institute, and your pride , arrogance, just slows down a big response from the Lord, so as not to lose you, imagine you became a successful president of a large company and everything went into eternity because of your pride without the spiritual knowledge of the humility of Christ, remember that the Lord would gladly put you in this post but while you're sinning you're not ready for it.
Arrogance is the biggest problem in growth. This is a huge brake on blessing. As soon as the country was arrogant before God, it immediately lost its collapse, it has always been like this. Both the individual and the state. If you want prosperity, humble yourself before the Lord. You want your church to become big, a good goal, but if at the heart of this desire to show everyone who you are to prove, Then this is your inferiority complex in the end expressed in a secret desire to be on top, but not for the sake of the Lord, but for yourself, this is there is basically a reason for arrogance.
A self-confident person will never humiliate others, but if you were often neglected, humiliated, let's say, then you become the boss, whether it be in society, or in the church, you will humiliate people, take revenge.
Saul was modest at first, he was humiliated, he was not given worthy glory as a king, gifts were not brought at the beginning of his reign. He did not seem to notice this, but then, when the time came for his full reign, he not only erected a monument to himself, but also killed the priests of God by raising his hand against the Lord Himself.
And it was precisely this hidden arrogance that played a fatal role in his fate, envy of David, because he was given more glory than Saul, and in the end he lost both his kingdom and his life, and also ruined his son. Despite the fact that he would gladly serve his friend David. It is because of this that King Saul, being a sower of good, could not bear to give up his position, and did not reap good works.
The next thing that prevents us from reaping is a weakness called disobedience. There are no such people who would like to be disobedient to the Lord, yet they want to do the will of the Lord, it’s one thing that it doesn’t work out, but there is a desire. And the apostle Paul said that I want good, but I do evil.
So disobedience is a weakness that must be squeezed out of yourself with you. Little disobedience of man Adam in the universe has led to the problem of universal and eternal size. Disobedience is the field of Satan's territory, the place where his ideas are born and his will is done. It is disobedience that does not give a person salvation. Trust in the Lord and you will be saved. I do not want and I will not.
Open the door to Christ, get away from me, I'm busy. We are disobedient by nature, the Lord says do not judge, we judge, he says forgive, on the contrary, we do not forgive. We live as we want, we think that everything in life is under our control, but in fact, Satan rules the show. These are the miracles.
So what is the reason for our failures in spiritual life, why it is not possible to wait for an answer from the Lord in good deeds.It's just that we do everything the way we want. We are advised by brothers experienced in the faith, pastors, and at least sometimes even knowing that they are right, we don’t want to do as they tell us, and gradually removing the answer from ourselves, in the end we get tired of the useless struggle with good and useful advice, in the end we deprive ourselves of good fruits .
So, as the pastor told you, do it, if you don’t want to be scolded behind your back, stop gossiping. If you want your kids to succeed, finally just start praying. For 15 years of ministry, I have seen many people in the church who did not succeed, not because something was difficult in life, it was simply difficult in their souls.
And vice versa, seeing an obedient person, I heard in a sermon that something needs to be done in the church, I began to dust the piano, I look at him and rejoice, now one of these brothers is my right hand. A lot more needs to be done. But the experience of obedience is already there, which means that the fruits will be the same.
Never forget that it was precisely by obedience to God the Father that the Lord did not weaken on the way, even in the Garden of Gethsemane. When human flesh, which is known to be weak, began to yearn, Christ had to make a decision not according to My will, but according to Your Father. And all obedience brought us all into salvation into eternal bliss.
So, if you want to see good fruits, start listening to the word of God and fulfill it in the simplicity of a child, and you will succeed. The next thing I would like to talk about is wrong prayers, when we expect something but with the wrong purpose, and with the wrong attitude. So first of all it is our self-interest.
We do not seek help from the Lord for His glory. And we use acquaintance with the Lord for the sake of simple self-interest. And it seems like a good thing, but you look, but there is only your interest there. Remember how Judas said, it’s better to sell it and give it to the poor, they didn’t ask me who was responsible for the money, well, you give. It seemed that a person wants a good thing, a good desire, but in fact it is only self-interest, which, by the way, ruined him.
The selfishness of Gehaziah, to waste good, I brought a man about General Naaman the leper, remember the story, did not weaken, caught up with the chariot, took good, but it turned out to be evil for him. He thought it was good for him. But in reality, it's far from it. So when you are looking for something, check sincerely before God whether you are in your desires. As the word says, ask and do not receive, because you ask for the sake of your self-interest, lust.
The next is the desire to have the material through the spiritual. As often happens, many pastors teach that it is worth coming to church, how the Lord will bless you financially, this is partly true, but it doesn’t always happen like that, it happens that you put things in order in your life, and until this happens, everything is in your life will be as before, and the salary, and the apartment. They also teach that as soon as you start looking for the kingdom of God, everything else will immediately come.
Just start serving, that's all. They begin to go to church, pray earnestly for the awakening of the church, and in their souls there is only one desire, but I serve for You, I am looking for a kingdom, give good, a big salary. You know, I’ll reveal one secret, in order to be rich, it’s worth just being diligent, hardworking, faithful to those for whom and with whom you work, with a desire to benefit those for whom you work, whether it’s a simple store, whether it’s a small enterprise,
Let your work be for the good of your neighbor, and then everything will work out with your hope in the Lord, because, as they say, do not make a mistake yourself, but trust in the Lord. Many come to church to get rich, I think that this is fundamentally wrong, of course, the Lord opens up new horizons in the material life of a person.
But this is not the main goal of coming to church, but salvation, an eternal reward. Piety does not serve for profit, that is, you understand that if I faithfully serve the Lord, I will definitely be rich, remember Lazarus the poor, and the rich. Those who fall into the love of silver themselves and punish themselves, deviate from the faith.
They are just chasing mammon, call it what you want, the desire for material prosperity, the belief in the blessing of Abraham, but if only this is the basis of your faith and your good deeds, then you need to seriously think about it.
The Word says that I wish you to be healthy and prosper as your soul prospers. That is, if the soul of a person prospered, was full of faith in God and full of desires for good deeds, in this case, when a person with the right goal in life, with the right course, in this case, the right prosperity will not interfere with him.But if a person lives only for himself, if you give him blessings, he will do more harm than good.
Let us remember the sorcerer Simon who asked to lay hands on him in order to receive the power of the Holy Spirit, for miracles, and of course for enrichment. From the very beginning it was wrong, and then he left blind. Just as blindly go to church are many self-interested people who need not God, but God. In one song there are such words I need a Giver, not gifts.
And this is true, we do not need what the Lord has, but the Lord Himself. Imagine if they communicated with you not for your sake, but for the sake of borrowing money, or your dad is at your best, and it’s useful to be friends with him. So, I think everything is clear with this wrong goal. And if it is the so-called good, what you are striving for, quickly repent and ask the Lord, give a goal in service and life for His glory.
Believe me, if you just serve the Lord in sincerity, then everything you need will come. And the last wrong thing in life is to define the goals of your life only for this life. In part, this is similar to the previous goal, but only in part.
Many do not understand why the Lord does not answer prayer, give up, weaken, and the name of this weakness, the earthliness of faith, or simply worldly faith.At the heart of this faith, I can even say again a big church, and a big building for the church, a business for the Lord, but even this is all mundane, a person seems to strive to work in life, works, but all this, again, all ends with the level of the earth. They are talking about those who build their kingdom, spread their name in life.
There are a lot of churches in Korea, huge, big, small, small. And from some time on, I suddenly noticed not in all churches, of course, but, such a situation that a person is a pastor of a small church, sets a goal in his life to reach a big level, and strive as best he can, his goal in life is a big church, it is she who is the reason fasting and service, but each one is given according to his strength.
Someone has five talents, someone has three, and someone has one. And you don’t have to tear your poor soul with all your might, considering yourself to be infringed, here is the disease of vanity and the desire to show yourself. I'm not saying that you need to passively sit and watch others how they successfully move. No, do everything you can, remember the widow, she gave it her all, gave what she had, and she had a reward from the Lord, and not those rich people who lay down from excess. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
The reward is given for complete faithful obedient service. Many think only about the reward, but to be honest, mature believers do not even think about it. All the attention of many believers, and I still have the same, to the Lord, is expressed in the fact that You are to me and to You. It is necessary to raise it to a higher level, if you want, then we are here on earth for You, and You are the Lord to us there in heaven.
If we want to have the right fruits in life, then we simply have to work not only externally, but very much internally, in secret from people, in the place where only the Lord and you. However, a mature person in his soul is faithful to the Lord, then he is faithful to the Lord both in life and in all his affairs.
If we recall the parable of the goats and the sheep, then the goats said they didn’t see you hungry, or in the hospital, if they saw you they wouldn’t pass, which means that they didn’t serve with all their hearts, but once again they would serve the Lord with pleasure if they saw His.
And the sheep say when we saw You, they just helped, I don’t even think about the reward, that’s what it means to have a right heart before the Lord. Of course, for the sake of our weakness, since we do nothing for nothing, the Lord tells us about the reward, but a sincerely serving person serves the Lord without even thinking about the reward, he does it for the sake of the cause itself.
That is, he feeds the orphan not in order to receive a reward in heaven, but in order for the orphan to be well fed, he helps his grandmother not so that God would give you a reward for bringing a bag of potatoes in heaven, but for the sake of the old woman’s sore back. Many do not understand this, the Lord expects from us the fruits of faith, a person who is faithful in a little is faithful in many ways. That is, if you are faithful to the Lord in your heart, then in your whole life you will also be faithful. May the Lord help us not to weaken, and to achieve all the well-set good goals that we sow and we will reap. Be blessed! In the name of Jesus Christ! Amen!
"When we do good, let us not lose heart; for in due time we shall reap, if we do not faint. Therefore, while there is time, let us do good to all, and especially to our own by faith." The topic of conversation changes somewhat and moves from personal holiness to good deeds, helping other people, participating in the philanthropic activities of the church or society. But the Apostle considers all this with the help of a metaphor about sowing and reaping.
Of course, some additional motivation is needed for good Christian works. Paul recognizes this as he encourages readers to "not lose heart" and "not faint" (cf. 2 Thess. 3:13). Active Christian ministry is hard, demanding work. We are tempted to give in to frustration, to relax, even to give up entirely.
Therefore, the Apostle gives us this motivation, he says that doing good is like sowing a seed. If we sow tirelessly, then "we shall reap in due time, if we do not faint." If a peasant, tired of sowing, leaves the field only half sown, then he will reap only half of the possible harvest. It's the same with good deeds. If we want to get a harvest, we need to finish the sowing and wait patiently, just like the farmer "waits for the precious fruit of the earth and endures long for it ..." (James 5:7). As John Brown puts it, "Christians often act like children when it comes to reaping. They want to sow and reap in one day."
If sowing is good deeds for people, then what will be the harvest? Paul does not say this, leaving us to guess for ourselves. But if you patiently do good deeds in the church or in society, it will always bring good results. It can bring comfort, relief, or help to those in need. This can lead the sinner to repentance and salvation; Jesus Himself spoke of His work as sowing and reaping (Matt. 9:37; John 4:35-38). Perhaps the moral destruction of society will be stopped (this is the function of the "salt of the earth"), and society will even turn into a more pleasant and healthy place to live. Maybe a person will learn to respect the beautiful, the good and the true, especially now, when the norms are changing so rapidly. This will bring good also to him who does good, not salvation (for this is a gift of God that cannot be earned), but some reward in heaven for faithful service; perhaps this reward will be even more responsible service.
“Therefore [Paul continues in verse 10, for the good seed sown yields a good harvest] while there is time [and we have plenty of time and opportunity in earthly life], let us do good to all, but especially to our own by faith.” Those who are ours in faith are the brothers-believers who "received with us the equally precious faith" (2 Pet. 1:1), that is, our brothers and sisters in God's family. As they say, "charity begins at home", in relation to relatives who have the first right to demand our devotion, although Christian charity does not end there. Jesus said that we should love our enemies and serve them, not just our friends. Thus, "constancy in a good work" (Rom. 2:7) is inherent in a true Christian, inherent in such a way that on the Day of Judgment it will be accepted as evidence of saving faith.
Conclusion
We have looked at three areas of the Christian life to which Paul applies his inexorable principle: "Whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap." In the first of these, the seed is the Word of God, which the mentors sow in the minds and hearts of the congregation of believers. In the second, this seed is our own thoughts and deeds, sown either in the flesh or in the spirit. In the third, seeds are good deeds sown in the lives of those around us.
And in each case, although the seeds and the soil are different, the sowing is followed by the harvest. The teacher who sows the Word of God will reap the livelihood; this is the intention of God. The sinner who sows to the flesh will reap corruption. The believer who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life, a fellowship with God that will continually deepen. The Christian philanthropist who sows good works in society will reap good fruits in the lives of those he serves, as well as a reward in eternity.
Neither in the one, nor in the other, nor in the third case, "God is not mocked." The same principle applies everywhere. And since God cannot be deceived, we remain fools by trying to deceive ourselves! This law cannot be ignored or resisted; we must accept it and live in harmony with it. It is necessary that common sense allow this law to operate in our lives. "Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap." We will certainly reap what we have sown. Therefore, if we want a good harvest, we must sow and continue to sow good seed. Then, in due time, we will reap the harvest.
6:11–18.
THE ESSENCE OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION
11 See how much I have written to you with my own hand.
12 Those who want to boast according to the flesh force you to be circumcised, only in order not to be persecuted for the cross of Christ;
1) For even those who are circumcised do not keep the law, but want you to be circumcised in order to boast in your flesh.
14 But I do not want to boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.
15 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but a new guard.
16 To those who walk in this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and to the Israel of God.
17 However, no one weighs me down, for I bear the marks of our Lord Jesus Christ on my body.
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen.
So Paul has come to the end of the epistle. Hitherto he has dictated it, but now, as is his custom, he takes the pen from his secretary's hands to add a postscript with his own hand. Usually, he simply put his signature to authenticate the message (see 2 Thess. 3:17). Sometimes he added a final instruction or blessing. But this time he writes a few final phrases with his own hand.
Verse 11: "See how much I have written you with my hand" Various assumptions have been put forward about these "big letters". Perhaps Paul was referring to the “clumsy, sloppy letters” of a person who was not used to writing, since he himself was not a professional scribe and, most likely, it was more customary for him to write in Hebrew than in Greek. Or perhaps he wrote in large letters because of poor eyesight, as we have already mentioned in connection with the "weakness of the flesh" (Gal. 4:13-14). However, most commentators believe that Paul deliberately wrote in large letters, either because he treated his readers like children (and reproached them for spiritual immaturity with letters that even a baby could understand), or simply to emphasize the importance of his words. , "to draw attention and attention to them", in the same way as today we capitalize words or underline the most important. J. B. Phillips adds a note to his paraphrase: "According to the age-old Oriental custom, this could well mean the following: "See how hard I press the pen while writing these words. "Thus, this phrase can be translated as: "Look, how insistently I underline these words for you."
What is Paul emphasizing here? It emphasizes the main themes of the Christian gospel. Once again, he contrasts himself with "those who came out of Judea", thus comparing the two religious systems. At the same time, it indicates the vital issues that are on the map. Reading these words about Paul's struggle with the Jews, we seem to be transported from the first century right into the twentieth century. We even manage to cast a glance at the centuries-old history of the Church, because throughout its entire length these important problems were constantly discussed. From this follow two questions about the essence of the Christian religion.
1. Is it external or internal? (vv. 12–13)
How is the essence of the Christian religion expressed: outwardly or inwardly? We need to answer that, fundamentally, Christianity is not a religion of outward ceremonies and rites; it is something internal and spiritual, living in the heart.
But the Jews focused their attention on the outside, namely circumcision. In verses 12 and 13, Paul says that they not only "are themselves circumcised," but also "want you to be circumcised," or "compel you to be circumcised." They are sometimes rightly called the "circumcision party". In these pages we have already heard their battle cry more than once: "Unless you are circumcised... you cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1); that is, they denied that salvation is by faith alone.
Why did they do this? Paul is very frank about this. Verse 12: "Those who want to boast according to the flesh..."; "those who want to make an outward good impression" ("Word of Life"). Verse 13: "...to boast in your flesh." Note the repeated word "flesh". Circumcision was performed on the body. God did indeed give Abraham circumcision as a sign of His covenant. But by itself it meant nothing. Nevertheless, the Jews ascribed to it paramount importance, insisting that without it no one could be saved. But how can an external, bodily operation ensure the salvation of the soul or be a necessary condition for salvation? This was sheer absurdity.
Scripture: "Doing good, let us not lose heart, for in due time we will reap, if we do not faint." (Gal. 6:9)
When the devil seduced Adam and Eve, he messed up their lives. He promised them that they would know good and evil, but instead they stopped distinguishing between these concepts altogether. This can be easily seen in the modern world. People began to consider the concepts of good and evil relative. They are not able to figure out which actions can be considered good and which are evil. As a result, many such statements of people have appeared that are absurd: holy lies, killing out of pity, stealing out of desperation. People commit sin and at the same time try to justify themselves, considering bad deeds to be something normal.
What are good deeds?
Most worldly people perceive good only in relation to themselves. A simple example: get 100 rubles. people unequivocally consider good, and give 100 rubles. – consider something undesirable (unless they later return with a %)
Luke 12:15-21
The story of the rich man who reaps a large harvest teaches us that caring only for your own well-being is not at all a good deed. The rich man dreamed of building storage facilities for his long-term reserves. Perhaps he thought that God would call him a wise and prudent man. But the Lord's answer was completely different: "Mad, this very night your soul will be taken from you, who will get all this." It is called insane because:
Saved only for myself
- didn't think time was so short (who gets it)
(someone will meet God with saved people, and someone with jars of jam)
- did not get rich in God (if we spend all our personal time on financial values, our strengths, talents - we are crazy)
When we become Christians, God changes our values. It is normal in the world to be a consumer, but the Lord wants us to become givers. Good is no longer what we do for ourselves, but what we do for others. Jacob. 4:3 "Ask and you do not receive, because you do not ask for good, but to use it for your desires."
Why should we do good deeds?
1) It's God's will for us(Eph. 2:10)
Many do not know what they live for, but God says that one of the purposes of our creation is good deeds.
2) Good deeds are the hallmark of a Christian.(1 Peter 2:11-12)
The fact that we are Christians is known not by how we dress and how beautifully we can speak, but by our actions. Our life can be both good and negative evidence for the world.
3) Not doing good is considered a sin(James 4:17)
If we do not strive to help others, if we pass by a person in need, we are going against God. It turns out that sin is not only when we do evil, but also when we do not strive to do good.
How to do good?(Gal 6:9)
A) don't get discouraged
When we like something, we will never lose heart. We need to organize our lives so that we enjoy helping others. Despondency comes when we have the wrong motives.
- the desire to please people through good deeds (I will help him, and then he will help me)
- desire to please God (Pharisees - I do good to show how pious I am)
We must do good deeds disinterestedly, out of love for God and people.
b) we will reap in due time
God promises that what we do does not go unnoticed. Seeing our desire to meet the needs of others, He will meet our needs.
C) if we do not weaken
You have to be patient. The devil wants us to be disappointed by helping others and seeing their ingratitude. We must treat every person without prejudice. By sending people in need to us, God tests us.
(Gal. 6:10) “Therefore, while there is time, let us do good to all, but especially to our own by faith.”
Questions:
- How people of the world perceive good and evil. Why do their opinions often differ?
- Give examples of your good deeds.
- Discuss the Lord's response (Luke 12:21) Does God consider meeting his own needs a sin? What does it mean to be rich in God. (can be divided into two groups)
- What is the purpose of our good works (what the Bible says and what do you think)
- When God says that we reap by doing good, what does He mean?
- What obstacles does the devil sow in our good deeds?
Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous waver. Psalm 54:22
Commit your way to the Lord, and trust in Him, and He will perfect and bring forth, as a light, your righteousness, and your justice, like noon. Psalm 36:5-6
Commit your deeds to the Lord, and your undertakings will be accomplished. Proverbs 16:3
Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the waters and taking root by the stream; it does not know when the heat comes; its leaf is green, and in times of drought it is not afraid and does not cease to bear fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8
Look at the birds of the air: they don't sow, they don't reap, they don't gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you much better than them? Matthew 6:26
Do not worry about anything, but always in prayer and petition with thanksgiving, open your desires to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7
For He Himself said: "I will not leave you, nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5
Cast all your cares on Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7
And about clothes, what do you care about? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory was not dressed like any of them; But if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow will be thrown into the oven, God so clothes, how much more you, of little faith! Gospel of Matthew 6:28-30
And he said to his disciples: therefore I say to you: do not worry about your soul, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will wear: the soul is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. Gospel Luke 12:22-23
The Lord said: I myself will go and bring you to rest. Exodus 33:14
Fear not, little flock! for your Father has been pleased to give you the Kingdom. Gospel of Luke 12:32
Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and it will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
Doing good, let us not lose heart; for in due time we shall reap, if we do not faint. Galatians 6:9
The Lord Himself will go before you, He Himself will be with you, He will not depart from you and will not leave you, do not be afraid and do not be horrified. 5 Book of Moses Deuteronomy 31:8
No one can stand before you all the days of your life; and as I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will not leave you and I will not leave you. Joshua 1:5
Behold, I command you: be strong and courageous, do not be afraid and do not be horrified; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest; take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Gospel of Matthew 11:28-29
Watch, stand in the faith, be courageous, strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13
For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and chastity. 2 Timothy 1:7
In the fear of the Lord is firm hope, and He is a refuge for His sons. Proverbs 14:26
Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16
So we boldly say: The Lord is my helper, and I will not be afraid: what will a man do to me? Hebrews 13:6
The Lord is with you when you are with Him; and if you seek Him, He will be found by you; if you leave Him, He will leave you. 2 Chronicles 15:2
The Lord will give strength to His people; The Lord will bless His people with peace. Psalm 28:11
My flesh and my heart fails: God is the rock of my heart and my part forever. Psalm 72:26
Great is the peace of those who love Your law, and there is no stumbling block for them. Psalm 119:165
He who trusts in the Lord, like Mount Zion, will not be moved, but abides forever. Psalm 124:1
In the day of my sorrow, I call on You, because You will hear me. Psalm 85:7
Fear not, for there are more of those who are with us than of those who are with them. 2 Kings 6:16
