Introduction
“As for you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” 2 Thessalonians 3:13
Exhausted, depleted, spent, bushed, fatigued, sapped, knackered, or beat; whatever you call it, feeling weary is part of the human experience. The specific things that wear us out vary, but there are commonalities.
First, we have the physical weariness of life. Work of any kind creates a longing in us for rest: parents desire uninterrupted sleep, employees, and business owners alike long for a vacation, caregivers wish for a break, students eagerly anticipate holidays. Our bodies are frail and need physical rest. And if we neglect this need, our bodies will eventually shut down. The need for physical rest is an inescapable fact of life.
Then there is spiritual and emotional fatigue, which comes from the constant barrage of struggles in ourselves, our families, our communities, and our countries. We get worn out by wrestling with our flesh and bumping up against other people’s flesh. Time and time again, our feelings are trampled, our hopes dashed, our spirits depressed by our own failures and the failures of others. This weariness is so severe that we cannot vacation our way out of it. We need a Savior, a Comforter, a Rest-Giver.
In Matthew 11, we read Jesus’ invitation to all who are spiritually and emotionally weary, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30
Indeed, Jesus is the answer for the weary, sin-ladened, law-burdened heart. We cannot fix ourselves. We cannot achieve lasting victory over our sin struggles or face the sin struggles of others apart from Jesus and His cross. As we come to the cross of Christ to have our sin burdens lifted, and to receive the sacrificial love of God, it both transforms our hearts and gives us rest. We look to our Lord, risen and victorious, and receive His Spirit and His power, which comforts and heals us and gives us new life.
But there is another type of tiredness that threatens us after we find rest from our law-keeping labors in Jesus’ death and resurrection for us, and this is the weariness of doing what is right. This weariness comes to those in full-time ministry and volunteers, to pastors and nursery workers, the young and the old. It can come on gradually or suddenly, but this temptation, this being weary in well-doing, comes to the whole body of Christ at some point in time. So, what are we to do when our “doing good” for the glory of God becomes “Good grief, when does it end?” We look to Jesus!
We find this solution in Hebrews 12:3, “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” There is nothing more encouraging and empowering to the heart than looking to the cross of Christ and seeing the lengths that Jesus went to find us, rescue us, and give us rest. He pushed past His weariness in the Garden of Gethsemane to go to the cross, to provide rest for you.
Illustration
In Exodus 17, we read of a particular battle between the Israelites and the Amalekites in the valley of Rephidim. Joshua led the soldiers into war and Moses took two others, Aaron and Hur, and went to the top of a hill to intercede for the fighting soldiers in the valley below:
Exodus 17:10 (NIV) So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went to the top of the hill.
God made the outcome of this battle dependant on what Moses did on the hill, whether he lifted his arms up or not, rather than on the keen strategizing or the strength of the fighting soldiers:
Exodus 17:11 (NIV) As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
You can imagine the fighting soldiers becoming weary in the battle, growing tired and losing their strength, but as they turned and looked up and saw those three men on the hill, the one in the middle with his arms upraised in victory, they fought on all the more.
But Moses got weary in the battle, too. His arms grew tired, so he needed his brothers to help him:
Exodus 17:12 (NIV) When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
This story teaches us two important things:
- When we become weary in the battle, or if we get tired in ministry, we can turn to the hill of Calvary and see three men on a hill, and the One in the middle has His hands upraised in victory. This sight of our victorious Savior will renew our energy and give us strength for the day.
- When we become weary in doing good, when our arms droop from exhaustion, we must allow our brothers and sisters to come alongside us and encourage us to look to the cross, upholding our weary arms. The body of Christ is admonished to “strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come…he will come to save you” (Isaiah 35:3-4). And He has come to save us in the person of Jesus and we strengthen ourselves and each other as we look to Him.
Exodus 17:13 (NIV) So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Moses was relieved and encouraged to have Aaron and Hur to support him in his ministry. And the Israelite soldiers were strengthened and energized to look up to the hill and see the man in the middle with his hands lifted high proclaiming their victory. Similarly, when we feel the weariness of doing what is right intruding, we can turn our eyes to Calvary and see that Jesus “disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross” (Colossians 2:15).
pplication
Are you a tired parent, weary of training your children in righteousness? Or a prayer warrior, who is feeling all prayed out? Or a worship leader who is feeling flat? Maybe you are just weary of forgiving those who sin against you again and again, or perhaps you are tired of supporting that friend who keeps falling into sin traps. Maybe you are feeling sick of speaking the truth in love when it feels like no one is listening. Oh, friend, if you are feeling drained from doing what is good, look to Jesus!
Look to the hill of Calvary and see Jesus winning the battle for you! Consider Jesus and how He poured out all His strength and His Spirit so that His Spirit would fill and fortify you. Remember that Jesus, as your Mediator, endured to the end. He sacrificed His life to save and sanctify you. His victory is yours; He is “the founder and perfecter” of your faith. Look to Jesus and receive His resurrection power that will not only raise you on the last day but every day!
Do you see someone doing what is right, but their enthusiasm for the work has waned? Come alongside them, help them to rest on Jesus, their Rock, and then prop up their arms with the good news of Christ’s death and resurrection. In so doing, you will strengthen and steady them along the way!
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:9-10
Question: How does looking to Jesus revive you today?
Judy writes, “We have small battles and God is there giving us strength. Our battles are nothing compared to what Jesus saw ahead of Him at the cross, and took on Himself for us so that we would win the battles ahead of us. Lord, please guide me as I look to You that You would strengthen me daily to live for You. Amen“
Andrew writes, “Jesus is the answer. He’s on top of that hill with his arms raised like Moses was. He loves me and I love him. “My cup runneth over” with the love from the Lord. It gives me the desire to be better each day and to know that if I fall, he is right there to pick me back up.“
Reprinted by permission from the Looking to Jesus study at www.settingcaptivesfree.com. SCF exists to help men and women find freedom in Christ through the gospel.