August 10
Scripture focus: Be very sure now, you who have been trained to a self-sufficient maturity, that you enter into a generous common life with those who have trained you, sharing all the good things that you have and experience. Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith. Galatians 6:6-10 (The Message)
When we learn how to appropriately use healthy boundaries to receive good and reject bad, we will find ourselves taking responsibility for ourselves. Does this sound selfish? It's not. If we've grown up without healthy boundaries, this advice may feel counter-intuitive. Sort of like the first time I flew on a plane with my children. I was appalled that the stewardess would suggest that I put my oxygen mask on before I put them on my children. Upon reflection, I began to see the wisdom of her advice. After all, if I weren't able to be strong and able to assist my children out of the plane, those little masks probably wouldn't provide all the support they would need in an emergency.
In the same way, God provides plenty of words of encouragement, teaching us principles that will help us not get too fatigued in doing good. He's not suggesting that we become selfish people; he's demonstrating how we might experience the abundant life without precipitously burning out halfway through our mission.
Recommended reading: 1 Kings 4-6
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