It’s only January, maybe too early for some of you to be discouraged about reaching your goals so let me give you a word of caution so you won’t go there:

God’s timing depends largely on our obedience.

I say God’s timing because what we are working toward may not be His will for our lives (1 John 5:14-15). And I say largely because God is sovereign; he can do what He wants when He wants (Psalm 115:3), but His word does promise certain outcomes based on our behavior. Galatians 6:9 speaks to our obedience and God’s timing: “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” We are commanded not to get weary (“to be utterly spiritless”; “exhausted”) when we are doing something good because eventually we will see benefits from our work. But we will only see these benefits in due season: when God deems the right time to be.

Galatians 6:9 is something that we need to keep in mind as we plug away at a tough job, continually discipline hard-headed kids, seek to fulfill those New Year’s resolutions, or mend a relationship with an old friend. God’s timing largely depends on our obedience. If we are being obedient, we just have to wait on God. He will bring us good in due season.

Copyright 2010 by Rhonda J. Smith