Gal 6:9+10 And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. 
	If you will remember back to last week, we are seeing that the Apostle Paul is bringing forth the full focus of what it means to be part of the Body of Christ. He is dealing with this in a very practical sense. He is setting aside the philosophy, the doctrines, the opinions, and the regulations in order to define our life in Christ. He is dealing with the Galatians, with all Christians, in terms of what now is our life. He very pointedly states that our righteousness, our salvation is not based in any measure on the works of our feeble attempts to fulfill the law. We are saved because we are covered in the righteousness of Jesus Christ’s perfect fulfillment of all the just requirements of the law. We cannot and never could find salvation in ourselves. It is found only in Christ, by the all-sufficient and omnipotent grace of God.
	This is what the Apostle Paul is pointing out to us. Our new life in Christ gives forth the evidence of Christ’s nature alive in us. We are no longer obligated to good works by a written code of moral law or ethics. Rather, we are called unto good works because of who we now are in Christ. There is a tremendous difference, a magnificent transformation that has taken place within our hearts, beings, souls, and spirits. We now find the fruit of the Spirit at work in us and from us unto others in the lives that we are called to live. That is what we are dealing with at this point.
	Works used to be drudgery, used to be impossible because we were forced to do them. We were trying to work our way out of death. We had to try to find some avenue out of the death sentence of the law that so shackled us. That was the curse of the Law. Now, however, in Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, we are freed from that curse. We are freed from the awful demands of having to obey the law. Rather, we now desire to have goodness characterize our lives on this earth. This desire flows from the heart of love that we now have for Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. It flows from the overwhelming love that we have for our Heavenly Father. It flows from our intense love for the Holy Spirit, Who indwells us, guides us, and causes us to grow deeper and deeper into Christ. Service to others is no longer a demeaning and a ridiculing matter. It is not drudgery, it is Joy. Service is a calling. Service is now seen in its truth as a cherished opportunity to give an expression, albeit an incomplete expression, yet a heart-felt, loving, and living expression of our thankfulness to God for all that He has done for us in Christ Jesus. That service is especially Joy as we serve the members of our family in Christ, the Church, the household of faith.
	The Apostle has dealt with the manner in which we are to treat others, especially our brethren in gentleness. We must treat all people in love, a major emphasis throughout this Letter. We are to carry one another’s burdens. We must never degrade or look down on others, but always keep our eyes firmly focused on the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to share together in all good things, in all the goodness of our oneness in Christ. 
	We concluded with the truth that what we sow, that we will reap. The Apostle gave us the utmost encouragement to sow to the Spirit in righteousness that we will reap the full bounty of God in eternal life in Christ. This is not just an individual manifestation; it is to be the expressed heart of God seen in His people, in His Beloved, in His Church, the household of faith.
	…let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart… Growth in our relationships with one another and with God does not happen automatically. Growth takes effort. Growth takes commitment. Growth takes patience. Growth takes hard and persistent work. Growth takes long-suffering. Yes, we are saved by Christ in an instant. We are made part of His Body in His divine power and grace at that precise moment. But, a living relationship with Christ and in Christ, being brought into our oneness as His Church, requires the tremendous ongoing work of the Holy Spirit. It requires very much self-death, very much patience, very much longsuffering, very much work taking place within us. 
There is not a one of us who can claim a perfect knowledge of all the fullness of God in Christ. We can give expression to what we know in our beings. That knowledge of Christ, at whatever level, is glorious to the nth degree, but it is still an incomplete knowledge of all that is ours in Christ. We are learning how to live by Christ. We are learning how to express His heart of Love unfailingly. We are having our roots in Him deepened and strengthened, day by day, as the Holy Spirit waters, feeds, and tests the spiritual root system developing in us. This work is done both individually and corporately. This work is done thoroughly and lovingly. This work is done repeatedly, day after day, and glory after glory. We used to sing a song From glory to glory He is changing me. Not what I used to be, but Christ in me. This ongoing, self-death requires our utmost dedication. Whether we are growing individually or corporately, we need to give ourselves whole-heartedly to all that is necessary as members of God’s family in Jesus Christ.
	One of the greatest impediments to our development in Christ is a lack of perseverance. It is simply fatigue. We get tired of the daily grind, so to speak. Day after day we seem to deal with the same things in ourselves and others. I am sure we can all think of people in our lives who never seem to get it. Every time they have an issue, it seems to be the same one. Sometimes it is lack of forgiveness. Sometimes it is substance abuse. Sometimes it is a negativity that just bears down into utter depression. Over and over we go through these things with them, and we do get tired. We get discouraged. We want to just wish them well and push them out of our lives. But we can never do that, not if we are living out from Jesus Christ. 
Before we begin to declare the hopelessness of others, let us look at ourselves through the eyes of Christ. We are not perfect in this world. We are always doing the same things in our lives, over and over again. But, that only increases the love of Christ that is shed into our hearts and lives. He continues to work in and with us until each mountain in our hearts is brought down, each valley of our soul is lifted up by His grace. It is true; we cannot love like that of ourselves. That, however, is not what we need to do. We need to let the Lord love others through these hearts, through these vessels which are His to use as He deems proper and fit.   
Yes, we can easily lose heart and run out of strength when we come up against the same problems over and over again as we deal with others and ourselves. We can declare that we have done enough. We can lose all interest; even become spiritless in the weariness caused by such prolonged effort. Before we give up, however, let us consider that we are no longer living by our thoughts, hearts, and strength, but by the heart of the Holy Spirit, in all the Love of Christ. He is our strength for each day. 
Deut 33:25 …and as your days, so shall your strength be. The Apostle Paul held onto that truth in his life, as he faced the trials and tribulations of bringing the Gospel, the Good News of Christ Jesus to those who would reject him, would beat him, would ridicule him, and would work to undermine his teachings. The Apostle, however, saw the true strength of his life, Christ, and fully declares His all-sufficiency in 2 Cor 12:9+10 but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong. 
	One of the greatest passages of encouragement to not give up on anyone was written by the Apostle Paul to Timothy. While it specifically deals with an encouragement unto being a minister, it none the less, holds true for each one of us in all our dealings with one another and with ourselves in Christ. 
2 Tim 3:12-17 Indeed all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceivers and deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 
Our next frustration, and remember we are now dealing with the very practical aspects of being a Christian, is the sense that we can judge the proper season of our service. The Apostle Paul strives earnestly to deal with this idea. …for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men… In due season, as we have opportunity. 
This is an element that just grates at our natural being.  This is probably one of the most anguishing aspects of our self life being put to death. We think that we can control the time that we have on this earth. As young people, we think that we have forever to make our commitment to God, it doesn’t have to be right now. As adults, we think that, because our mortality is coming more and more into focus, there are things that we need to still accomplish, to do, to attain while we have the strength and the means. As elderly, we look back on the lives that we lived and frustrate that we missed the chance to do this or that. What we need to realize, what we need to understand, what we need to grow into is the truth that time is appointed by God. It is not our time, it belongs to Him. 
When we are settled in this truth, we see that time is immaterial in our lives in terms of what we can or can’t do. It serves God and God alone. So also must our lives be set into that same frame of concentration, we serve God and God Alone in His time. We cannot put things off because we find them too inconvenient for the moment. We cannot choose to do things later, because quite frankly there may not be a later. Our hearts should so embrace God’s time and timing that we are instantly available when He needs to use us to His glorious purposes. When we serve each other, in the grace of God, we must serve each other at the very instant of His leading. Time is not ours to divvy up. It is His with which to operate in our beings. We should mourn as we see others putting off God until a seemingly more convenient time. Our beings should be moved by the loss that is caused by any delay to turn to God as evidenced in Acts 24:25. There we see Felix, the Roman governor, set aside the preaching of God by the Apostle Paul, And as he argued about justice and self-control and future judgment, Felix was alarmed and said, "Go away for the present; when I have an opportunity I will summon you." 
When I have an opportunity. How much is lost because we put off our service unto God until it is convenient for us. We must come into the truth that His time will always be the right time, the perfect time. 
As His church, we can and should pray for His quick, if not immediate return. In this prayer, however, we can rest assured that His time will not be accomplished until all those who will respond to God have responded to His heart of love. We must grow into the knowledge that He is the One in charge. Grow into the knowledge that He is the One who determines the course of the activity of His time. Grow into the knowledge that He is the One to Whom we look for guidance, hope, trust, salvation, and sustenance within the timeframe of His choosing.
There is limited time for us. Let us do His good work while we have the opportunity and not squander, or fret and flitter away the time that we have on this earth. Be open to the Lord for those opportunities in which we can give an instant witness to the Lord God Almighty. Our lives are only a transitory opportunity to declare the full glory of God on this earth. That is what we are called to do. That is what we must do. Do it now! Not tomorrow, Today!
	…if we do not lose heart… Faint not. Do not become discouraged. Do not slow down our efforts. According to Wuest, this word is used of reapers overcome by heat and toil. The word means "to relax effort, to become exhausted physically." So many times we are exhausted; so exhausted that we claim that we can’t do this or that any longer. We do not have the strength to continue in the hard work required as the people of God on this earth. Our hearts have lost the vigor and the vitality to persist in the continuing testimony of God to which we are called. 
	When we face this exhaustion, look to the scriptures. Find stimulus in the Word of God. Discover, in His Word, the strength of Christ to carry on. Find refreshment and encouragement in the power of God’s Love and Grace and Mercy. Again, consider the encouragement of Paul to Timothy concerning the power giving Word of God. …All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Job 17:9 Yet the righteous holds to his way, and he that has clean hands grows stronger and stronger. 
	1 Peter 1:13 Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 
Heb 12:1+2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 
	As we hear these admonitions to go on in Christ, to not give up, we will find ourselves facing many of the following questions. What are the practical implications of this life that we are called to live unto God? Why is our relationship with one another and with God so vital to God? He has done such tremendous things in Christ, but to what purpose in me? Why is it so important for me to live unto Him and no longer unto myself? I am just a teenager, going to school, why is this important to me? I am not a minister; I am simply working at a job that pays the bills, why should I care about any of these things? I hear about these great truths of God, but why should they affect me? How often do we find ourselves asking these types of questions?
 	The answer to all our questions is found in Matt 9:36-38. As we read it, we will see the very heart of God invested in us, and unto us, for the sake of our loved ones, for the sake of our friends, for the sake of our acquaintances, and for the sake of the lost of this world. The heart of Christ expressed in this passage must be our heart. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." 
	It is the love of God that constrains us to seek after any manner in which we can answer His call to the spiritual harvest of Christ in us, the hope of Glory. Have we come to the point at which we ask ourselves how anyone can survive without Jesus Christ? The answer is that they can’t. Without Christ, they are lost and have no hope. We are called to a spiritual harvest, a harvest of lives unto the fullness of God in Jesus Christ. 
	To quote the IVP commentary, Sometimes the harvest is experienced in this life. When we sow acts of love, we reap a harvest of love in return. When we give generously and sacrificially to the needs of others, we reap a harvest of gratitude as those needs are met. When we sow the seed of God's Word in needy lives, we experience the joy of response. But we must remember that reaping a harvest almost never happens on the same day as sowing the seed. We may not even see a harvest in this life from what we have sown. Nevertheless, we must never give up; because we know that at the proper time our Master will return… end of quote.
Let us keep the Love of God at the forefront of our lives. We all know John 3:16, For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. I ask us to now listen to a few other passages from the Word of God this morning, verses that express that heart of God’s love. Let these Words sink into our beings, not just into our ears, but into our hearts, into our souls, into our spirits, into the very core of our life in Christ. If we do so, all of our questions, all of our concerns, and all of our doubts will be met in Christ. Do not seek philosophy, do not seek doctrine, and do not seek ready-made answers. Rather, seek the Lord in all the power of His Word to meet the course of every day.   
Matt 25:34-40 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 
Luke 6:35-38 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back." 
John 4:34-36 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest. He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 
Luke 10:2 And he said to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 
And, finally this morning, from the heart of the Apostle Paul to the Church at Cornith, and to each one of us. 
2 Cor 4:7-18 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. For while we live we are always being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh. So death is at work in us, but life in you. Since we have the same spirit of faith as he had who wrote, "I believed, and so I spoke," we too believe, and so we speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 

This morning’s benediction is Ps 134 Come, bless the Lord, all you servants of the Lord, who stand by night in the house of the Lord! Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless the Lord! May the Lord bless you from Zion, he who made heaven and earth!