Do you ever grow weary in well doing?
Do you ever grow tired of trying?
Do you ever feel unappreciated?
Do you ever feel like you can never do enough?
Sometimes you do and do and do for someone, and all that does is lead them to expect more from you.
For some people, it’s never enough. No matter how much you do, there’s still one thing lacking, one more thing you “should have” done.
Whatever you do for some will go unappreciated. It’s like they expect it of you, as if your task in life is to please them or make them happy. There’s never a word of appreciation; never a thank you for what you do.
So you try, and try, and try some more, hoping that one day you’ll get the “thank you” or the recognition for what you’ve done…but it never comes.
It’s all very frustrating, isn’t it? It pains your heart. Some days you may question your own self-worth as your efforts go unnoticed and your work goes unappreciated by family, or friends, or work colleagues, or your church…or even God?
Yes, it is easy to grow weary in well doing in a world where wrong doing seems to get all the recognition and rewards.
But the Apostle Paul gives us a word of encouragement in his letter to the Christians in the region of Galatia: “So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9) On those days when you feel like giving up and giving in to it all, let those words reassure you, and give you hope. “Do not be deceived,” Paul wrote to those Christians, “God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.” (Galatians 6:7) Our challenge is to keep on sowing what is right; for there is a harvest—a pay day some day.
Alone and in exile on the Island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, John was given the Revelation—a vision from God (The Revelation) and told to write down what he saw and send it to the seven churches of Asia Minor (modern Turkey). Revelation itself is a letter: “John to the seven churches that are in Asia,” and within the Revelation are the letters to each of those seven churches individually. It was a time of great anxiety for Christians under the reign of Nero? or Domitian? There are good arguments for both emperors, but for our purposes we will simply accept it as a time of persecution and hence the fear and anxiety that goes along with any persecution. The Revelation was given to bring comfort and hope to the Christian believers in those seven churches, and it was passed down to us.
John was given a vision of the risen Christ on the Lord’s Day. (See Revelation 1:12-18 for his vision of the risen Christ.) At the same time the seven churches were meeting for worship, John was given the message of hope and comfort that we know as the Revelation.
The first of the “internal” letters—the seven letters to the seven churches within the larger letter—is to the church in the Roman capital of Asia, Ephesus. (While these “letters” are individualized, we soon recognize that they are all connected to the larger whole of the Revelation.) To the church in Ephesus comes the message from “him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands.” We learn in 1:20 that the stars represent the “angels” or “messengers” to the seven churches, and the “golden lampstands” are the seven churches—shining their light to the world—“You are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)
“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance.” (2:2) What you do does not go unnoticed. Others may not appreciate your work or your efforts, or, for them, it may never be enough, but the Lord “knows.” He who sees all; sees what you do; therefore, don’t grow weary, but remember there is a reward for your efforts.
“I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers…” Maybe we should pause a moment and let that sink in.
Okay…let’s move on. “You have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false.” False “apostles,” or false teachers, make a big splash. They often say outrageous things, and gain a great deal of attention. Their message often borders on the truth so that it might be difficult to discern the truth without a prayerful effort. As we hear a cacophony of voices claiming to have heard a message from the Lord, we should take special note of the words of John in his first epistle: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1) These false prophets will say whatever they need to say to gain attention, to sell their messages, or for financial gain. Some will give up the word of God for the words of the world, but will so mix the two that it can be difficult to discern. Some things have not changed since this letter addressed to the Christians in Ephesus and included in the Revelation.
“I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary.” Yes, sometimes we must “endure,” and “bear up.” So, let’s stop the whining and complaining, and do what we are called to do. This modern “persecution complex” among some Christians is certainly not what the Lord told us to do.
The message to the Christians in Ephesus was a message of affirmation…except… “I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” Does this mean that some of those Christians in the church at Ephesus had burned out from their work? Possibly. We must always be on guard that the zeal of the love we have at first doesn’t turn into the indifference of a love that cools.
“Repent!” “Repent and do the works you did at first.” We must never give up our efforts at doing the work of the kingdom of God. When we do falter, grow weary, and want to give up and give in, we should pray for the renewed zeal to do the work we are called to do.
A church that does not continue doing the work the Lord has called the church to do will find herself dying—“I will come and remove your lampstand from its place.” We are called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus the Messiah in word and deed. We are called to minister to the needs of all people everywhere. The Jewish prophet Micah sums it up like this:
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?” (6:8)
Our Lord Jesus summed it up like this:
“The Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (See Mark 12:29-31)
John concluded his letter to the church in Ephesus—the letter within the letter—like this:
“Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches."
blessings
