Giving • Devotion 4

Chinese Bamboo Tree
Dr. Randy T. Johnson

“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

I enjoy the story of two frogs that fell into a tub of cream. One looked at the high sides of the tub which were too difficult to crawl over and said, “It is hopeless.” He gave up and sunk to the bottom of the container. The other one refused to give up. He kept swimming and kicking. In the process of survival, he was churning the cream without even knowing it. Finally, he found himself on a solid platform of butter and jumped to safety.

Although this story may seem a little childish, I think we all have times when we are barely treading water. It feels like we are spinning our wheels with no visible success. Where is the hope?

Galatians 6:9 reminds us, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” God knows there will be times when we feel we are doing everything right and it just does not seem to make a difference. We ask, “Why try?” This can be from filling out applications and sending out resumes to reading the Word and praying. We strive to be diligent, but our efforts seem fruitless. I feel for the missionaries who pour out their hearts for years and even decades without seeing anyone come to the Lord. I respect and appreciate their faithfulness. Their calling is to obedience while leaving the results to God. Our calling is to obedience. We must “not grow weary of doing good.” Keep praying for the salvation of loved ones. Continue to read the Bible and ask for help or an explanation when needed. Fall forward.

The Chinese bamboo tree is very interesting. It needs water and fertilizer every day for five years before it even breaks through the ground. Once it breaks through the earth, it can grow 35-36 inches in a day eventually reaching upwards to ninety feet in height. We look way up trying to see the top of the tree forgetting the faithfulness of five years of “nothing.”

Keep planting seeds and watering. Success is a journey, not a destination.

“Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:58

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