Bite-Sized: More Immanence

There was another aspect of this idea that I neglected to mention. God’s immanence is not just relevant when you’re sinning or when you’re overwhelmed with adversity. It’s relevant when you’re doing His will too. There will also be times in our lives where we will be doing good and obeying our Lord and, quite frankly, it will seem like a thankless existence devoid of glory. It is for this reason that Paul writes this to the Galatians: “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.” The phrasing in 2 Thessalonians 3:13 is very similar where he says, “You brothers, do not grow weary in doing good.” But the grammatical differences point to Paul's different situational approaches. The Greek of the Galatians verse is a hortatory subjunctive phrase. This just means that Paul is encouraging the church at Galatia not to lose hope in the face of adversity. In using the first person plural, he identifies with his audience, acknowledging his own weakness but encouraging the church to fight with him. But in 2 Thessalonians, this encouragement is not merely encouragement, but rather an imperative command. It is no longer “Let us not grow weary”, but rather, “You guys had better not grow weary. Do what I say.” One gets the feeling that in Galatia, the words are preventive while in Thessalonica, the words are prescriptive. In Thessalonica, he sees that laziness is an issue and so he strikes it at its source. Taking these instances where Paul addresses a common issue in the Christian life, we should also take the prospect of “growing weary in doing good” very seriously. The Lord will, in due time, send you the harvest that you have worked for because He, being immanent, is smiling over you as you serve His people wherever and whenever you do it. The reward may be in this life and it may not be. But you will receive it. And if you find yourself about to get weary, take encouragement from Galatians 6. But if you are weary now, obey the command of 2 Thessalonians 3. Your faith and your works are not in vain, for Christ is indeed risen.