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

(Galatians 6:9 NASB).

Let us not lose heart in doing good. To strictly speak, ekkakeo means to act or behave badly in some circumstances. Ekkakeo was used by the farmer who was tempted to slacken his exertions because he had become so weary as a result of his prolonged effort. Ekkakeo means to lose one’s motivation in continuing a particular activity. Ekkakeo means to be fainthearted or to faint or despondent in view of trial or difficulty, and it is always used with the negative particles. It means to lose one’s motivation to accomplish some valid goal and so to become discouraged and give up.

Heart. Ekkakeo conveys the idea of becoming exhausted and giving up and thus is the opposite of having a heart. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NASB). Good deeds are God’s deeds that are prepared by, initiated by, and empowered by the Spirit of Christ who lives in us. And this heart is “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16 NIV).

Therefore, family of God, let us not lose heart in doing good. We’re always sowing seeds in life by everything we do and say, so let’s make sure the fruit we reap comes from the good we do each day.

Let us not lose heart in doing good. Good in the Greek is kalos. Kalos describes that which is inherently excellent or intrinsically good, providing some special or superior benefit with a basic meaning: healthy, sound, or fit. Kalos is intrinsically good with emphasis on that which is beautiful. “Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down’” (Luke 21:5-6 NIV).

In classic Greek, kalos was originally used to describe that which we see as beautiful, and for those of us here this morning that have this beautiful inward beauty, most of us here today would agree that we recognize those who are sowing seeds in life by everything they do and say. So let us make sure the fruit we reap comes from the good we do each and every day.

For in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. Due time. The appointed season. The proper season. The due season. The proper time. Fruit is reaped in a season that follows the sowing, but it is ultimately the time of God’s appointment which is neither to be hastened nor delayed by the act of any of His creation. This is a word of encouragement for a payday someday and brings to mind John Wesley’s exhortation to “Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9). Kairos, time and season, opportunity. Kairos means a point of time or period of time with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. It means a moment or period as especially appropriate at the right, proper, favorable time, at the right time. A season. A point of time. An opportunity, a moment. Something that lasts for a season and so is transient, temporary, or enduring only for a specific period of time.

“Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9 NASB). Grow weary also means literally to loosen out and to untie, to dissolve, to release, to set free. To be unstrung as a bow string that has become unstrung and so weakened and unusable!

The third time’s the charm. In due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary” (Galatians 6:9 NASB). For those of us who thought that the only thing that came out of Scotland was a warrior named William Wallace, we see this amazing woman in a manufacturing town in Scotland. A young lady began teaching a Sunday school class of poverty-stricken boys. The most unpromising youngster was a boy named Bob.

After the first two or three Sundays, he did not return. So the teacher went to look for him. Although the superintendent had given Bob some new clothes, they were already worn and dirty when the teacher found him. He was given another new suit, and he came back to church. But soon he quit again, and the teacher went out once more to find him. When they did, they discovered that the second set of clothes had gone the way of the first.

“I am discouraged about Bob,” they told the superintendent. “I guess we must give up on Bob.” “Please don’t do that,” he pleaded. “I believe there is still hope. Try him one more time.” They gave Bob a third suit of clothes, and this time they experienced the true results of faithfulness. It wasn’t long until he became a Christian and eventually even taught in that same Sunday school.

Who was that obstinate, ragged boy who for a time seemed so unreachable? None other than Robert Morrison, who later became the first Protestant missionary to China. He translated the Bible into Chinese and brought the Word of God to teeming millions. God has hidden every precious thing in such a way that it is a reward to the diligent, a prize to the earnest, but a disappointment to the slothful. In service for Christ, keep doing good. Perseverance wins! Never give up!

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

Never give up! As Hitler was mounting his attack against England during World War II, Winston Churchill was asked to speak to a group of discouraged Londoners. He uttered an eight-word encouragement: “Never give up! Never, never, never give up!” There will be times when you’ll be discouraged in your Christian walk, but you must never, never, never give up. If nothing else, your struggle against sin will cause you to turn to God again and again and cling to Him in your desperation.

It is the man or woman who gets up and fights again that is the true warrior. Strengthen yourself with a powerful draught of the wine of Romans 8. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4 NASB).

The farmer who grows weary might give up before the harvest. The bow that becomes unstrung is useless in battle. The teacher who quits after the second failed attempt never sees Robert Morrison translate the Bible into Chinese. But those who do not lose heart, those who keep sowing good seed, those who remain faithful in due season, they will reap. Not might reap. Will reap. This is God’s promise. This is God’s appointed time. This is God’s certain harvest.

So do not lose heart. Do not grow weary. Do not become unstrung. The due season is coming. The harvest is assured. The faithful teacher will see the ragged boy transformed. The weary farmer will see the fields turn golden. The discouraged warrior will see the victory won. Never, never, never give up. For in due time, we will reap if we do not grow weary.