trbccoffeebreak

“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 (ESV)

Don’t know if you are results driven, but when I do something I really want to see the culmination of my hard work and sacrifice.  Immediate gratification might better define it.  If I’m starting a healthy lifestyle and giving up my fave food then I want to see the numbers on my scale drop.  If I’m carving in time for exercise then I want see some tightening and toning.  If I’m decluttering then I want to quickly see some empty space.

One problem here – results aren’t usually instantaneously visible.  Exact reason why we so easily give up.  The lack of immediate trumps hard work and sacrifice.  We’re not evolving like we planned.  The scale seems stuck, broccoli loses its appeal and those muscles well let’s just say it’s slow going. The pile we moved yesterday seems to reappear and grow. Progress appears to be lacking.

Sweet friends, I hate to admit it but this need for immediate gratification spills over into our spiritual lives as well.  We tackle memorizing scripture yet we can’t recall the verse we thought we learned two weeks ago so we give up.  We devote time to studying God’s word yet we seem to continue to struggle to comprehend what we just read so we give up.  We pray fervently for a divine miracle and nothing happens so we give up.  And we land exactly where our enemy planned – discouraged and defeated.

If only we had just kept pressing through, we would have been amazed at how God multiplied the progress we couldn’t see in the moment. Underneath the surface of all our doing results are accumulating.  We are making progress – it’s just not visible in the moment.

Those verses we thought we didn’t retain, He brings to our mind at just the right moment to encourage us.  All those days of wrestling through passages, God pulls it altogether giving us clarity and discernment when we need it the most.  And those tear stained pillows and sleepless nights when we cried out for help, God heard and answered at just the right time.

Never late – no delays – just sovereignly orchestrated moments when God reveals what He was doing underneath the surface.  Where we thought growth was stalled, He unveils a faithful believer maturing and being transformed moment by moment. Where challenges appear out of control, He is not caught surprised – its all in His capable hands.

Immediate gratification may slay us, but our God will bring it all together if we simply keep pressing through.

“Father, giving up is far easier than digging in and pressing through.  Strengthen and empower us to stay on track despite delays.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life