Keep up the good work

https://odb.org/2025/01/17/keep-up-the-good-work-2

Galatians 6:7–10 (ESV): 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

There is a concept called delayed gratification, where people delay the enjoyment of life in order to accumulate wealth or capital for the future. It is more particularly defined as the ability to resist the immediate reward in favour of a greater reward in the future. Thus, if we like a particular guitar, we save up to buy it instead of charging it to our card and pay an instalment plan. Of course, in the modern world, we can not avoid using credit like buying a car or a house. But if we were to invest in a car or house and still save, we may need to forfeit holidays or dress more modestly.

It’s the same thing with our job and career. Work hard to acquire the right skills, and one day, we will be able to command the commensurate pay, rather than jumping from one job to the other for a few hundred more but unwilling to work hard. Putting in the hours is inevitable. Anyone who has learnt any craft, whether you’re an athlete, a musician, or a singer, you need to train and train. Training comes with sacrifices. The rewards will come later. It is delayed gratification.

In our faith, we do good and serve God after we accept Christ. It’s a lifelong journey. It’s a journey of joy and yet fraught with pain and suffering. Happiness mixed with tears. Our rewards are definitely not immediate and may not even be realised here on earth. But we don’t give up. We pursue riches in heaven. We store up treasures in a place where the thief may not steal or moth and rust may not destroy.  Do we have to apologise for wanting to store up riches in heaven? We serve in the Kingdom of God as bondservants, although we are co-heirs with Christ. It is delayed gratification.

Strive forward in our faith. Push on and don’t relent. Always do good and serve God with all our heart, soul, and strength. Sometimes, we get tired. Take a break, but continue on after that. Never give up as our rewards are for all eternity. We will get to be in direct fellowship with the Lord and live in the glory of His presence one day! Hallelujah! Amen!