4 Life Giving Ways To Not Grow Weary In Doing Good (Galatians 6:9 Meaning)

Do not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 

Life is full of things that make us weary. That was true when this verse was written 2,000 years ago, and it’s true today. And what the Galatians 6:9 meaning is getting at is encouraging us to not give up. It might be hard, but it will be worth it. 

My guess is you have things in your life that make you weary. And I believe this verse will be a powerful encouragement and challenge for you. 

Let’s dive in. 

The Context Of Galatians 6:9 

The book of Galatians is part of a section of scripture called “The Epistles.” And really these aren’t books, but rather letters. Paul wrote these letters to 1st century churches to encourage them and challenge them to live in light of the Gospel. 

Galatians was written to the church in Galatia which was comprised of Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). This presented a theological crisis. The Jews were telling the Gentiles that they had to convert to Judaism before becoming a Christian. 

Paul writes this letter to correct this heresy and remind this church that salvation is found in Christ alone and not by works. 

Towards the end of Galatians, Paul switches gears from theology to application. In Galatians 5 Paul has laid out the markers of Christian life and given a list of things to avoid. In Galatians 6 he gives his sending charge, his call to apply what he has been talking about to their lives. 

Paul knows the Christian life is challenging, so he ends his letter with encouragement of what will come from persevering through these challenges. 

The Galatians 6:9 Meaning 

Now that we know the context, let’s look at the Galatians 6:9 meaning and see how it applies to our lives today. 

Do Not Grow Weary In Doing Good Meaning 

It’s easy for followers of Jesus to become discouraged. Life can beat us down and we can face opposition for doing good. It can feel like we are doing all this hard work for nothing. Growing weary in doing good is a constant danger in a Christian’s life. 

Paul here is urging his readers to not lose heart, to not grow weary in doing good. In the previous chapters he had laid what “doing good” was (Galatians 5:1-26), and here he is calling back for his readers to apply what they read. 

Though it might seem like our good works are in vain, they aren’t. They are doing something in our life and faith and the lives of those around us. Paul continues with this thought… 

For At The Proper Time Meaning 

We like instant results. We want to go to the gym and see results the next day. We want to put a dollar in our savings and have enough for retirement. We want to pray once and have a strong faith.

But the reality is growth takes time. God has designed life this way. And if you do the right things over time you will get results. 

The same is true in our walk with God. There will be seasons where you bust your butt doing good, and it will seem like nothing happens. Your faith doesn’t grow, your friend rejects you, there’s no fruit producing in your life. But that doesn’t mean something isn’t happening. 

Paul is saying here that growth takes time, and God is working. We just can’t always see it. 

We Will Reap A Harvest Meaning 

Paul continues, in “the proper time you will reap a harvest.” Not a single piece of fruit, but a full harvest. 

While it might seem like our work isn’t producing much, the reality is God is doing things we cannot see this side of heaven. 

God is working in you. He’s working that person you are praying for. He’s producing a harvest in and through you. You might not always be able to see it, but in the right time you will reap a harvest. 

Paul is urging us, let us not become weary in doing good BECAUSE a great harvest is coming. 

If We Do Not Give Up Meaning

This verse ends with a warning… IF we don’t give up. Far too many people throw in the towel too soon. 

It’s kind of like those buckets at waterparks that dump large amounts of water on the people below. The way they work is that there’s a faucet that dumps the water into the bucket. At first it might seem like nothing is going to happen. But eventually the bucket becomes full, and that causes it to tip and dump a whole bunch of water.

That’s how the harvest in our life and faith often work. Our good works is the faucet that’s filling up the bucket, and the harvest is the dumping of the water. 

I’ve seen so many Christians assume their good works aren’t doing anything. So they stop, they turn off the faucet. But in doing so they will never experience the harvest. 

It takes time for that bucket to become full. We shouldn’t grow weary in doing good because one day the bucket will tip and the harvest will come. 

How To Not Grow Weary In Doing Good 

Now that we’ve looked at the Galatians 6:9 meaning, I want to look at how we can practically put this into action. Paul’s command, “Do not grow weary in doing good” might seem like a lot if you are weary. But there’s some practical things we can do apply this to our life so that we can continue doing good.

So I want to give you four ways that you can apply this passage to your life.

1. Commit To Rest 

One of the best ways to not grow weary in doing good is by creating margin in your life, finding rest. Our culture doesn’t prioritize rest; it’s go go go ALL the time. And rest isn’t just a good idea, it’s a God idea. He designed you to rest. 

That’s why Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” 

God wants you to rest. He doesn’t want you burning the candle on both ends. Yes, God has a purpose for you, but his purpose isn’t an unbearable burden. It’s an appropriate weight. And he wants you to regularly find rest. 

So if you want to not become weary from doing good, find rest. Find one day a week where you can take off. Enjoy your family. Enjoy nature. Discover a new hobby. Take a nap. Go for a bike ride. Whatever it is that fills your soul do that, commit to rest. 

You might also like: The Powerful Meaning Of Matthew 11:28-30 (my yoke is easy meaning)

2. Surround Yourself With Others 

There’s this fascinating story in Exodus 17:8-16. God tells Moses to fight the Amalekites, and God promises that as long as Moses held up his arms the Israelites would win. But if he put his arms down the Amalekites would win. 

This was God’s mission for Moses in this moment and the stakes were high if Moses became weary of doing good. The problem was his arms got tired. He was growing weary. But his buddies Aaron and Hur noticed this and brought him something to sit on, and they held his arms up until the sun went down and the Israelites had won. 

God was teaching Moses, and us today, an important lesson. You can’t go through life alone. By yourself you will grow weary, it’s only a mater of time. 

The reality is you need people beside you that will hold you up when you get weary of doing good. God never intended for you to do life alone. So, who’s around you holding you up? 

3. Invest In Your Relationship With God 

Something about Jesus that’s always fascinated me is that during his time on earth he was often found slipping away from crowds to pray. He always had people surrounding him begging for his time, but he always made sure the most important relationship came first. 

I think he did this to show us how we should live. So often what happens to us is we get caught up by what’s most urgent in front of us. And our relationship with God takes a back seat. 

But if you want to not grow weary, then your relationship with God needs to come first. That means you take time daily to spend with God. 

If you are looking for a great resource to help you spend time with God check out Mark Moore’s Core 52: A Fifteen-Minute Daily Guide to Build Your Bible IQ in a Year

For more ways to invest in your relationship with God check out: 15 Creative Ways To Spend Time With God

4. Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

Have you ever watched a sprint? Maybe in the Olympics or high school track meet? 

Every so often during a race you will see the person in the front look back to see where the closest runner is to them. But when you take your eyes off what’s ahead of you, you slow down. And many runners have lost their positions because they took their eyes off the prize. 

Similarly, many Christians have taken their eyes off the prize of eternity. We look behind us at what the world has to offer. And what happens? We slow down. You cannot run full speed ahead while looking behind. 

What’s worse for followers of Jesus is what we often get distracted with pales in comparison to what God has for us. When you get tired and weary focus on the prize that awaits you. 

Thank you for reading this blog post! I hope it helped you better understand Paul’s command, “Let us not become weary in doing good” and how it applies to your life. If it did would you share it with a friend?

Jeffery Curtis Poor
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