In Galatians 6:9, the apostle Paul says to the Christians of Galatia, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (N.K.J.V.). At the risk of sounding like a preacher, let me point out that this verse easily divides into three alliterated parts.

Part #1 is the command: Let us not grow weary while doing good. It is so easy for the Christian to grow tired of doing right in a world filled with so much wrong. He pours himself into people who inevitably disappoint him. He supports just causes that ultimately fail. He speaks truth only to have it drowned out by a din of lies. He questions whether he is making a difference at all. Nevertheless, he must keep at it. Even when he can no longer see the point or use of it all, he must not grow weary while doing good. This is the divine command.

Part #2 is the compensation: In due season we shall reap. Even though the harvest may linger, it is surely coming. It merely awaits the due season. The great scorekeeper of the universe is on the job, and He will see to it that good-doing is rewarded handsomely. It’s wrong for the Christian to be motivated to service by the expectation of gain, but when God Himself promises the gain it’s perfectly acceptable. This is the compensation for a job well done.     

Part #3 is the condition: We will only reap if we do not lose heart. The farmer who sows his seed but stops caring for the crop after only a few weeks needn’t expect a harvest. Likewise, the Christian who loses heart in doing good will not get to enjoy the harvesting of the due season. The problem with a loss of heart is that it leads to a loss of good-doing. Doing good is hard enough when one’s heart is in it, let alone when there isn’t a heart for it. Therefore, the Christian must see to it that he doesn’t lose heart while awaiting his promised compensation. This is the condition for reaping his harvest.

A mother, hoping to encourage her young son to continue his piano lessons, bought tickets for a performance by Ignacy Paderewski, the Polish master. After arriving at the concert hall, the woman began talking to a friend and lost track of the boy. When eight o’clock arrived, the spotlights came on and only then did she notice that he had climbed onto the stage and was sitting on the bench of Paderewski’s piano. Then, to her horror, the little fellow started to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” Before the mother could retrieve the boy, Paderewski walked on stage. He got behind the little fellow and whispered, “Don’t quit – keep playing.” Then he reached down with his left hand and began filling in the bass part. He followed that by reaching down with his right hand and adding a running obbligato. Together, Paderewski and his young apprentice played the grandest version of a children’s song the audience had ever heard.

Christian, think of yourself as that boy and the Lord as Ignacy Paderewski. To you, your efforts at doing good seem as if you are only playing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.” But you aren’t hearing the fill-in parts that God is playing. Just as Jesus took a boy’s small lunch and fed 5,000 men (John 6:1-14), He will take your efforts and multiply them beyond your wildest dreams. Remember this the next time you feel a tinge of weariness while doing good. Just keep telling yourself, “It’s too soon to quit because my due season is just over the horizon. God has promised that I will reap. All I’ve got to do is keep playing.”