8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. 9 Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
5 For when we came into Macedonia, this body of ours had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn--conflicts on the outside, fears within. 6 But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever.
13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.
19 So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
15 For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men.
58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
“Those who genuinely ‘do good’ will be tempted soon enough to grow weary. Give yourself to doing good for others — on God’s terms, to fulfill his calling — and it’s just a matter of time before you will be tempted to tire.” David Mathis
“Our weariness, our grumbling, and our complaining grows as we seek to be faithful to God’s ways in our own strength and not in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nothing eternal is ever done in the flesh – all done in the flesh will be found wanting – it is only through the Spirit that eternal works are accomplished. When working in our own power we simply wear ourselves out going nowhere fast.” BHY
“As the flower is before the fruit, so is faith before good works.” Richard Whately
“Service to God is as uniquely differing among believers as our fingerprints. God has specifically designed good works for each life that we may walk in them through His power and for His glory and our good. These works encompass all areas from peeling potatoes to running a country to changing a diaper to caring for the elderly to holding a door – it matters not what the task is but that we are faithful to walk in it. We cannot do all things for all people. Jesus Himself did not feed every hungry soul nor heal every hurting one as He walked this dusty earth. We are all limited by our physical bodies yet through His power we are all equipped to do what we are called to do, and the body of Christ suffers –as well as we ourselves – when we remain unfaithful to the task. God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply and it equates to the abundant life which Jesus came to give us. Don’t be misled, service out of love for God is that component which makes for greatness in a life because God’s Word attests to that.” BHY
“This ‘it’s all about grace’ talk goes wrong when we say that the amazing grace that saves the Christian doesn’t also make him distinct from the unbeliever in love, action, and speech. When we go out of our way to discount the grace of good works in Christian life, we betray how little we really know of grace. Nothing on this planet us like it. It is the most precious jewel we can receive. The sweetest thing our souls can taste. The loveliest lyric our mouths can sing. But it is never a powerless thing. God does not have a type of saving grace that, once given, leaves its recipient unchanged. Saving grace not only justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5) but trains us ‘to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age’ (Titus 2:11-12). God himself is at work in us by His Spirit (Philippians 2:13). And this grace is a more effective teacher than Dr. Phil or Dr. Seuss or any other teacher in the world. But the doctrine of same-as-the-world Christianity tells us something different: that those who have found the doctor are no healthier than those who have not. Or, in the other rendition, that those beggars who have found the bread stay just as malnourished as the starving world. But patients who tell us that they have seen the medic, while also confessing they are still no different from those miserable souls in the waiting room, let us all in on the secret that they are either lying or need to find a new doctor.” Greg Morse
“We are the workmanship of God. He wants to regenerate us through our relationship with Jesus in the supernatural community of the Church. Then, He gives us the spiritual gifts and tools we’ll need to do the good works that he’s already prepared for us to do.” Chip Ingram
“God has given us his word that we might learn to lean on God himself. Not just generally on true ideas, concepts, and Christian slogans, but specifically on the actual words of God for us, letting all the ways God speaks to us brace us for doing good. We humble ourselves, turn to God, open his word, and trust what he says — not what we see. We seek to readjust our hearts to his truth, not allowing the world’s appearances to steer us. We aim to lean not on our own understanding, whether self-justifying or self-doubting, but on his specific words and promises to us in the Book.” David Mathis
“The flesh is all about trying; the Spirit is all about dying.” Jennifer Dean
“Meaninglessness ultimately comes not from being weary of pain but from being weary of pleasure.” G.K. Chesterton
“Patience is the fair handmaid and daughter of faith; we cheerfully wait when we are certain that we shall not wait in vain. It is our duty and our privilege to wait upon the Lord in service, in worship, in expectancy, in trust all the days of our life. Our faith will be tried faith, and if it be of the true kind, it will bear continued trial without yielding. We shall not grow weary of waiting upon God if we remember how long and how graciously He once waited for us.” Charles H. Spurgeon
“Jesus Christ is God’s everything for man’s total needs.” Richard Halverson
“All good fruit proceeds from the Vine – apart from Him we can do nothing.” BHY
“We all know the value of joy. It alone is the proof that what we have really satisfies the heart. Just this makes gladness such a mighty element in the Christian character: there is no proof of the reality of God’s love and the blessing He bestows, which men so soon feel the force of, as when the joy of God overcomes all the trials of life. And for the Christian’s own welfare, joy is no less indispensable: the joy of the Lord is his strength; confidence, and courage, and patience finds their inspiration in joy. With a heart full of joy no work can weary, and no burden can depress; God Himself is strength and song.” Andrew Murray
“Courage for the Christian is simply doing the next right thing through the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results in God’s loving hands. He is always faithful to give the grace sufficient to meet each need as we need it. Courage is faith in action – not faith in ourselves but faith in Him.” BHY