And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
-- Galatians 6:9-10 (ESV)
John Chrysostom, Homilies on Galatians:: "He did not say 'let us not be idle,' but 'let us not grow weary.' For toil is the lot of those who labor in the harvest, and the danger lies not in the work itself but in the fainting of the heart before the appointed time."
Do you see how he lifts their spirits? He reminds them of the harvest -- the season appointed by God -- so that they might bear the present labor in hope of what is sure to come. No farmer who has put his hand to the plow reaps by turning back.
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Morning and Evening:: "We must not expect to see an immediate reward for all our labors. God has His set times, and it is not ours to forestall them. The husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it. Let us do the same. The reaping time will certainly come, and come in due season -- that is, in the best season. Patience, brothers and sisters -- patience."
Cyprian of Carthage, On the Advantage of Patience:: "Beloved brethren, the Holy Spirit declares in the Psalms that we are tested by the Lord -- 'I tested you as silver is tested.' Let no one wonder that we are proved by many tribulations, who are destined to be crowned after our conflicts. The furnace tries the potter's vessels, and the trial of tribulation proves the righteous. We are disciplined here that we may be found approved hereafter."
Thomas à Kempis, The Imitation of Christ:: "Every man naturally desires knowledge; but what good is knowledge without the fear of God? A humble peasant who serves God is better than a proud philosopher who, neglecting himself, considers the course of the stars. He who knows himself well becomes mean in his own eyes and takes no delight in the praises of men. If I knew all things in the world and had not charity, what would it profit me in the sight of God, who will judge me according to my deeds?"
What good work have you abandoned -- not because it failed, but because it demanded more patience than you were willing to give?
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, VI.15:: "Begin each day by telling yourself: today I shall meet with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness -- all of them due to the offenders' ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother -- therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading."
St. Clair, MI: -- Mist clearing to mostly sunny and hot. Morning fog at 61°F, warming to 90°F by noon (feels like 95°F). Afternoon sun, 84°F, humidity dropping to 48%. SW winds 3-4 mph. UV index high at 8 -- take cover midday. Evening partly cloudy, 84°F. Sunrise 6:00 AM, sunset 9:11 PM.