“Well-Doing Without Weariness”
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Galatians 6:9
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
Galatians 6:9
The very nature of the role of a woman is to serve. We serve almost from the time we get up in the morning, until we fall into bed at night. We serve everything from breakfast to customers. We’re on call 24/7 when it comes to serving our little ones.
There are so many examples of servants in the Bible. Even if we look only at women, there’s Sarah, and Abigail, and Esther, who served her people, and Ruth, who served her mother in law. And the most famous of all women servants, “Martha, Martha.”
The Master of all servants was our Lord Jesus Christ. Of all the people who have ever lived on earth, Jesus had the most logical right to be served. But He came as a servant. The central theme of the Bible is the Servant of all—Jesus Christ. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” Mark 10:45; Phil. 2:7 Jesus Christ “…took upon him the form of a servant,”
But let me tell you a way to better serve others: it’s called “Rest,” or “Well-Doing Without Weariness.”
Would you fall asleep if you were to close your eyes right now for 5 minutes? We’re women, and we’re tired. We get up tired; we go to bed tired; we even die tired. Maybe that’s where the expression, “May she rest in peace,” comes from. We try to eat right, and get enough sleep, even if it has to be in the afternoons when our little ones nap. But we’re tired, in body and in spirit.
I must get my rest. I am avid fan of siestas, probably because I’ve spent most of my life in México. I try to take afternoon naps, especially Sunday afternoons. A pastor once said the acrostic of the word SAINT is Sunday Afternoon Is Nap Time. And I agree with him.
I want to tell you how to rest.
I Physical Rest
A. Get organized. I Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Even as a widow, I must organize my life, my time. We pride ourselves in being able to multi-task. But I find that if I can just concentrate on one thing at a time, not only do I feel less stress, but I do a better job, and enjoy my work more.
B. Get sleep. “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:” Psalm 127:2b, 3a I think it’s so significant that a promise for sleep comes right before the assurance that children are a blessing. That verse must surely have been written for mothers who are up all night with little ones. So much could be said in favor of sleep. Are you tempted to eat when you’re not hungry? Go take a nap. Probably the only time we’re not sinning is when we’re sleeping.
C. Get apart. Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, (His apostles) Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure, so much as to eat.” Do you know what had just happened in the verses before Jesus said this to His disciples? John the Baptist was beheaded. Don’t you think Jesus was grieving? No man born of woman was greater than John, according to Jesus. He knew how important it was, even for the Son of God, to get physical rest when going through an emotionally stressful time. It’s hard to separate physical-emotional-spiritual. If Jesus needed time alone with His apostles, we surely need time alone with our family.
II. Spiritual Rest
A. Wait. Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” We need God’s presence. In Exodus 33:12-14, Moses was tired. You can hear the exasperation in his voice as though he were angry with God. If God hadn’t realized that Moses was tired, he would have reprimanded him. And instead of telling him to have someone stretch out a hammock for him, and bring him a glass of lemonade, He said, “My presence will go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” He needed God’s presence. Sometimes we’re tired, and we don’t even know it. Fatigue makes us irritable. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 No one wants to be around an old woman with squeaky bones. Spend time with God, or no one will want to spend time with you.
B. Work. Hebrews 4:11 “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,” would seem like a contradiction of terms. If you serve others, as if you were serving the Lord, your attitude toward work will change. For the last three years of my husband’s life, he had to have round-the-clock care. He was my ministry. I got very tired, but when I began to look at my care for him, and to do my tasks “as unto the Lord,” my attitude changed, and his comfort became my focus.
C. Walk with God. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 A yoke is not for just one animal. It’s an implement that enables two animals to work in harmony, to walk together. Jesus and me. He tells us to TAKE His yoke upon us, but He also asks us to CAST our care upon Him. I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Did you know sometimes burdens can wear you out? You’re serving, but wearily. When you TAKE His yoke upon you, “Lord, I accept my work, my responsibility, my tasks,” and walk with Him, you can CAST all your care upon Him. You have no business carrying around your cares and your burdens. He wants them.
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8
There are so many examples of servants in the Bible. Even if we look only at women, there’s Sarah, and Abigail, and Esther, who served her people, and Ruth, who served her mother in law. And the most famous of all women servants, “Martha, Martha.”
The Master of all servants was our Lord Jesus Christ. Of all the people who have ever lived on earth, Jesus had the most logical right to be served. But He came as a servant. The central theme of the Bible is the Servant of all—Jesus Christ. “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” Mark 10:45; Phil. 2:7 Jesus Christ “…took upon him the form of a servant,”
But let me tell you a way to better serve others: it’s called “Rest,” or “Well-Doing Without Weariness.”
Would you fall asleep if you were to close your eyes right now for 5 minutes? We’re women, and we’re tired. We get up tired; we go to bed tired; we even die tired. Maybe that’s where the expression, “May she rest in peace,” comes from. We try to eat right, and get enough sleep, even if it has to be in the afternoons when our little ones nap. But we’re tired, in body and in spirit.
I must get my rest. I am avid fan of siestas, probably because I’ve spent most of my life in México. I try to take afternoon naps, especially Sunday afternoons. A pastor once said the acrostic of the word SAINT is Sunday Afternoon Is Nap Time. And I agree with him.
I want to tell you how to rest.
I Physical Rest
A. Get organized. I Corinthians 14:40 “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Even as a widow, I must organize my life, my time. We pride ourselves in being able to multi-task. But I find that if I can just concentrate on one thing at a time, not only do I feel less stress, but I do a better job, and enjoy my work more.
B. Get sleep. “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord:” Psalm 127:2b, 3a I think it’s so significant that a promise for sleep comes right before the assurance that children are a blessing. That verse must surely have been written for mothers who are up all night with little ones. So much could be said in favor of sleep. Are you tempted to eat when you’re not hungry? Go take a nap. Probably the only time we’re not sinning is when we’re sleeping.
C. Get apart. Mark 6:31 “And he said unto them, (His apostles) Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure, so much as to eat.” Do you know what had just happened in the verses before Jesus said this to His disciples? John the Baptist was beheaded. Don’t you think Jesus was grieving? No man born of woman was greater than John, according to Jesus. He knew how important it was, even for the Son of God, to get physical rest when going through an emotionally stressful time. It’s hard to separate physical-emotional-spiritual. If Jesus needed time alone with His apostles, we surely need time alone with our family.
II. Spiritual Rest
A. Wait. Isaiah 40:31 “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles: they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” We need God’s presence. In Exodus 33:12-14, Moses was tired. You can hear the exasperation in his voice as though he were angry with God. If God hadn’t realized that Moses was tired, he would have reprimanded him. And instead of telling him to have someone stretch out a hammock for him, and bring him a glass of lemonade, He said, “My presence will go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” He needed God’s presence. Sometimes we’re tired, and we don’t even know it. Fatigue makes us irritable. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” Proverbs 17:22 No one wants to be around an old woman with squeaky bones. Spend time with God, or no one will want to spend time with you.
B. Work. Hebrews 4:11 “Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,” would seem like a contradiction of terms. If you serve others, as if you were serving the Lord, your attitude toward work will change. For the last three years of my husband’s life, he had to have round-the-clock care. He was my ministry. I got very tired, but when I began to look at my care for him, and to do my tasks “as unto the Lord,” my attitude changed, and his comfort became my focus.
C. Walk with God. “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 A yoke is not for just one animal. It’s an implement that enables two animals to work in harmony, to walk together. Jesus and me. He tells us to TAKE His yoke upon us, but He also asks us to CAST our care upon Him. I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” Did you know sometimes burdens can wear you out? You’re serving, but wearily. When you TAKE His yoke upon you, “Lord, I accept my work, my responsibility, my tasks,” and walk with Him, you can CAST all your care upon Him. You have no business carrying around your cares and your burdens. He wants them.
“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.”
Psalm 4:8
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