But ye brethren, be not weary in well doing. 2 Thessalonians 3:13
A survey was made of couples whose marriages were in trouble for one reason or another, marriages in which the couples declared that they were ‘very unhappy’. The couples were divided into two groups, one group (the majority) who were going to let the marriage go, and one group that decided that they would continue to make an effort to make the marriage work, despite their unhappiness. Those who conducted the survey contacted those same couples five years later. They found 86 percent of those couples reporting that they were either very happy or quite happy in their marriages. What made the difference? How did things turn around so dramatically? That’s easy to answer. Those couples discovered that by persisting with their efforts to make their marriage work, they succeeded where the other group failed. All it took was a determination to keep on working at it. The same applies to our Christian testimony, even when hardships and persecutions come, and living as a Christian seems to become a burden to us.
With so much of the world flashing its enticements to us, it’s easy to get our eye off our privileges and responsibilities as Christians. We get too busy to put much effort into our personal devotions. Our schedule becomes too full to enable us to attend all of the meetings of the Assembly. We slip into the language and habits of the unconverted around us. We ignore opportunities to witness to friends and acquaintances. In short, we become weary in well doing. Maybe we are becoming like those couples who were unwilling to put the effort into saving their marriages. But we should be like those couples who refused to give up, and who kept putting the effort in. Our text is appealing to us not to give up. And if we persist, we will find that the effort pays off in the joy that comes with being obedient to our Lord.
If we were to ask those couples who gave up on their marriages, we would probably find that any future relationships didn’t work out either. In the same way, Christians who give up on their testimonies for God will never find satisfaction anywhere else. It is only in patient and obedient service for our Lord that we will find life’s greatest fulfillments. One reason for that is service for Christ pays off in eternal blessings, not merely earthly blessings, although those are also great. Think of the apostle Paul, who at the end of his life could utter those marvellous words, ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). What great satisfaction he would feel to be able to say that! And besides, he could anticipate a glorious reward for his service.
It’s worthwhile to hang on, to refuse to give up, to keep on trusting and serving the Lord, to simply refuse to be weary in well doing. -Jim MacIntosh