Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint
not."

This morning, patience seems to be lacking more than ever. As we have contemplated before, our society
today is one of "instant gratification." If someone does not get around to doing something that we desire today, we wonder, "What's the hold-up?" If they get around to it today, we wonder, "Why didn't they do it
sooner?" Man, it seems, can never be satisfied in his flesh. The carnal part of man is not endued with
patience, and it takes great effort in the walk of a disciple of Christ to bring forth the manifold fruit
in service that requires patience. (Luke 8:15) One of the hardest times to have patience is when we are
earnestly and sincerely trying, but nothing seems to result. If we are sitting around doing nothing, we cannot logically think that results will happen (although sometimes we expect that too). But when we are labouring abundantly in some field of endeavour, we very often think results should immediately appear, and we become discouraged when they do not.

Paul has finished his contrasting analogy in the realm of sowing and reaping. His contrast shows the sowing and reaping to the flesh along with the sowing and reaping to the spirit, coupled with each one's consequences. While it is not our intention to delve into those verses, notice clearly that the sowing and reaping is our labour. These are things that a man soweth, and while God is to be praised for beneficial and bountiful reaping according to the spirit, we should not charge or mock God when we reap corruption from sowing to the flesh. Our carnal man (old man) is still instilled with the nature to sow to the flesh every time, and the new man is instilled with the nature to sow to the spirit every time. We must quit ourselves like men and be strong to fend off the desires and nature of the corruption of our flesh and swing the sword of His Spirit in our labour to sow to the spirit.

Now, Paul concludes this line of thinking with an instruction in righteousness to "not be weary in well doing." Things will not be a bed full of roses when we try to follow after the things of God. Gain is not synonymous with godliness, but godliness with contentment is great gain. (I Timothy 6:6-10) May we be content with godliness in our lives. The problem is that after we have laboured a while, we desire to see fruit. We may desire to see more than what we see. We may at times think that God is slack concerning some promise to us. These thoughts ought not so to be, but yet we have them just the same. Paul says be not weary in well doing. Since he has been looking at the scene of sowing and reaping, let us consider for a moment the nature of farming.

Having never farmed for a living, my thoughts will probably be greatly handicapped, but in my work, I have come to some knowledge of the basic principles due to the proximity of my job to farmers. Firstly, it is painfully easy and simple to understand that the moment the seed goes into the ground, fruit is not immediately brought forth. Things take time, and our labour of service to the Lord takes time with things
being done line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little there a little. Secondly, sometimes we get fruit that we may not have intended. For example, say someone's prayer for the church of their membership is growth. Perhaps they are labouring with numerical growth in mind, but at the end of a space, the growth
has been in knowledge among those already there with no additional numerical growth from the outside. Is
the Lord blessing those endeavours? Certainly He is, but perhaps not in the frame that we were thinking.

Next, consider also that different types of fields and fruits come in at different seasons. While we will seek to look at a progression according to natural farming, these thoughts are not going to applyin some detailed fashion to our daily walk, but they will more aptly describe things in a general way. My line of work keeps me quite frequently in the Mississippi Delta region, which is known for flat, fertile soil in which many crops are grown. During the spring, summer, and fall seasons, it is always amazing to watch the fields go through their cycle from hardened ground to harvested fruit. When the winter wheat is "heading out," the other crops are
just being planted. So, the winter wheat comes off first, and in the early summer, the corn begins to be harvested. Then, by mid-July to mid-August the early to late soy beans get harvested. Then, the rice
fields are drained and harvested, and the last thing to come out of the fields is the cotton.

When looking at that progression, we should see that we need to be bearing fruit in all seasons. The wheat is coming forth during the winter, and harvested about the time one would think planting should begin. Then,the corn, being the fastest grower, comes out. Even though planted about the same time as the other crops, it grows like lightning. Some of the older farmers even comment that late at night, one can listen and
"hear the corn grow." The beans are just steady growers that consistently grow and progress to the harvest. The rice has to be watered all the time (fields are actually flooded during the growing months) to survive. Lastly, the cotton grows the slowest to the maturity of bowled out white beauty that can stretch beyond what the eye can see.

As God's children the "corn seasons" seem to be the most zealous and energetic. During "meeting season"
we seem to be able to "hear the growth" from weekend to weekend. As the fruit shoots forth, there seems to
be more coming in sometimes than we think possible to gather up. But, these seasons do not last all year,
and we need to maintain steady, consistent growth in fruit bearing like the beans, but dear ones, there
will be rough times when it seems to take much watering like rice to achieve growth. We may read, study, pray, and meditate three times longer to achieve the same growth we did during the "corn and bean seasons." All of these crops make fruit, but the growth is different and the situation for the growth different.

Finally, the cotton comes in last. Forgive me for thinking this a beautiful picture as I, for one, have never picked, chopped, or planted cotton. In late fall, there are few equals to watching the sun go down over a cotton field that is white and bowled out with the rays dancing over every bowl. The beauty of the whiteness goes beyond what the eye can see sometimes. Paul said be not weary in well-doing. Things will not always be "corn seasons" and sometimes the labour seems more like rice season, but Paul assures the labourer that reaping will come.

There are endeavours in this life that we may never see the fulness of the fruit. Parents that pass away before their children are grown may never live to see them as honest, upstanding adults that are honourable members of society and faithful members of the church. Pastors that pass from the scene may not see the growth that they laboured for that occurs after they have passed on. But, one thing is for certain, that labour was beneficial whether they saw the blessed consequence or not. So many things that we have today are a blessing that was built upon other men's labours. The religious liberty and freedom that we all enjoy is a blessing of our forefather's labour over 200 years ago.

But, dear ones, what was that last crop to come in?  The cotton came in last, and sometimes you can drive
by a field and wonder, "Will it ever come out?" Then one day, you drive by again and think, "When did all
this happen?" For us to try and labour in God's kingdom, we must do so with the understanding that the best is yet to come. While the seasons may get long and the service seems tiresome, remember that the best is yet to come. In a moment the white, glistening heirs of God's redeeming grace will come forth with the rays of the Son dancing upon every bowl. This will be the last reaping to come in from the harvest, for it will be God's harvest of all those that He paid for. Not one will be left in the field, for all will be gathered to Him without the loss of one. This harvest that He paid for cost the most, and took the most work.

While our rice seasons seem tough, His load was tougher. Cotton requires increasingly more attention than any other type of field that we mentioned. God's harvest of His people took the attention of the Son of God to shed forth His blood upon the tree to redeem wretches that were His enemies. Therefore, let us not be weary in well doing. We shall reap in due season if we faint not, but dear friends, He shall reap what is rightfully His at the appointed time. May we earnestly desire that time, and no matter the season here, labour fervently that His name would be glorified with our hearts more attuned to Him.

In Hope,

Bro Philip