Never Tire of Doing Good

“We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” (2 Thessalonians 3:11-13)

Doing good is tiring. Have you noticed that? It’s tiring to keep doing the right thing, especially when it seems like no one notices. You care for someone day after day, and they never say thank you. So you start to get tired. You do your job faithfully day after day, but someone else gets promoted. So you start to get tired. You reach out to that family member over and over again, but they never reach out to you. So you start to get tired. Over time, you get tired of doing what is good.

Can you relate? It’s tempting in life to become jaded. To get to the point where you say, “It won’t do any good. Why bother? They won’t appreciate it. Nobody will notice me. Better not to do anything at all.” Have you been there? Are you there right now? Doing good is tiring.

That’s why it’s so easy to be idle and disruptive. To not do anything at all and to get in the way of whoever is still trying. You even tell them, “Just slow down. Stop trying so hard. What’s the point?”

What if Jesus thought like that? What if Jesus looked around and said, “I’m not appreciated. Hardly anybody says, ‘Thank you.’ Why bother?” He had every right to say that, didn’t he? Yet, every moment of every day, Jesus never tired of doing good, not even when he was nailed to the cross. He was still forgiving and saving others, even as he died for us.

We have a Savior who never tired of doing good for us. Doesn’t that motivate you and me? Yes, what we do doesn’t always get noticed. But do you know who always sees? Jesus! He’s the One we are really serving, isn’t he? Yes, what we do often doesn’t seem to matter. Yet, who put us into the position in life we’re in today? Jesus did! We can trust his plan, can’t we? 

With Jesus’ strength, fight the urge to be idle. Instead, never tire of doing what is good.

Dear Jesus, every day you are hard at work serving and saving me. Forgive me for all the times I don’t live for you and others. Please give me strength to never stop doing what is good. Amen.

Pastor Nathan