Do Not Grow Weary

The other day, a friend texted me Hebrews 12:3 out of the blue:

“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.”

It was a timely reminder, and I was immediately encouraged by the simple fact that I’m not the only one who feels weak and weary. The author of Hebrews wouldn’t have written these words unless he understood that fatigue is a basic reality in the fight of faith.

In fact, it’s a bit surprising how many times Scripture encourages us to not grow weary. Paul repeated the same encouragement to two different churches:

“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13),

and,

“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).

“It’s naïve to think that doing the right thing is always going to be easy. The reality is that it’s often like paddling upstream or peddling uphill.”

It’s naïve to think that doing the right thing is always going to be easy. The reality is that it’s often like paddling upstream or peddling uphill. Isn’t it encouraging to know that Paul was personally aware that living by faith can be tiring, exhausting, overwhelming, and wearying?

Several weeks into social distancing and “quarantine,” you may be feeling some atrophy. If all of this has disrupted your physical routines, your physical body may feel weak and lethargic. But what about relational atrophy? Or spiritual atrophy?

Inactivity can lead to feeling sluggish and lazy. And when we give in to laziness, we let certain habits of grace slide and we neglect the good that God has called us to do.

So if you feel weary, what is the remedy?

Fighting the fight of faith and running the race with endurance requires living by faith and not by feelings.

First, follow the admonition in Hebrews 12:3 by making time to set your heart and mind on the suffering that Jesus endured for you. Let your mind wander through the details of his betrayal, his agony in the Garden, the mocking, beating, and humiliation he endured during his trial and crucifixion. And as your sanctified mind’s eye envisions those scenes, marvel at his face set like flint, his resolute determination, his unrelenting faith in his Father, and his unwavering obedience. Your perseverance doesn’t come from trying to copy Jesus anymore than you can learn how to dunk by watching YouTube videos of LeBron. Rather, as you consider Jesus and trust Jesus, you are joined to Jesus and filled with his Spirit. And if the Spirit of Jesus is in you, then Jesus himself makes it possible for you to persevere without growing weary or fainthearted.

“Those who live by what they see and feel in the moment will soon give up, but those who live by faith in God’s future grace will endure to the end.”

Second, consciously cling to the promise of Galatians 6:9: “For in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” We are tempted to give up when we don’t see fruit. But we aren’t supposed to live by what our physical eyes and our finite minds can perceive. There’s a line in a song we sing that says, “What eyes of faith have strained to see will one day fill our sight.” Those who live by what they see and feel in the moment will soon give up, but those who live by faith in God’s future grace will endure to the end.

Brothers and sisters, let us not grow weary in doing good.