Romans 2:6-7
God will reward each of us for what we have done. He will give eternal life to everyone who has patiently done what is good in the hope of receiving glory, honor, and life that lasts forever.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
If you are like me, there are days when you wonder why you bother… with certain people, projects and situations. I am reminded of the child whose family a social worker, a pediatrician, and I tried to help when I was teaching kindergarten. The more we did, the more the father demanded we do. One day he told the social worker, “Oh… and I need a car, too.” She replied, “What color would you like?” She said later, “The demand was so preposterous that I felt it merited an equally ridiculous response.” Of course, DHS was not going to provide this family with a car – nor was anyone else! But we didn’t stop trying to help them… and we certainly did not stop loving the innocent children in this situation.
And this is the point of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Romans. God expects us to “keep on keepin’ on.” He calls us to be patient and to persevere. He doesn’t expect us to be doormats or to take any and all “dirt” that others wish to heap on us. God doesn’t want us to be mistreated any more than He approves when we mistreat others. But God does want us to keep trying… to never stop loving, serving, caring… and behaving with dignity. To do otherwise is to ignore God and thumb our nose at how He has patiently loved and nurtured each of us… and in the long run, this could have significant consequences!
I like how these verses (and Verse 5) are stated in The Message… “You’re not getting by with anything. Every refusal and avoidance of God adds fuel to the fire. The day is coming when it’s going to blaze hot and high, God’s fiery and righteous judgment. Make no mistake: In the end you get what’s coming to you—Real Life for those who work on God’s side, but to those who insist on getting their own way and take the path of least resistance, Fire!”
In the end, everyone who tried to help my little student’s family decided the only action that made sense was to buy them all bus tickets back to their home state of Pennsylvania, where hopefully family members who lived there could help them. But that doesn’t mean I quit caring about this little boy and his sister. To this day, I think of my little Chuckie often and wonder what became of him… and pray that he is safe and well. I believe this is my “part” now on behalf of this child… and that God will handle the rest.
I fully understand the temptation to quit… to give up on certain people, situations… and sometimes, even our faith in God - if things are really going badly. But this is not the hallmark of a faithful Disciple of Christ! We would not want God to give up on us… we most certainly do not want Him to become aggravated or disgusted and toss us into the Lake of Fire (and thankfully, I don’t believe He will do this to those who truly are His born-again disciples). I am so grateful for God’s patience with me… the blessings He continually pours out on me, even though on any given day I am so undeserving – and probably make Him feel like my doormat. I am determined to do better… to love and serve Him more… and to be more patient and caring toward others in His name. What about you… are you with me?
©2013 Debbie Robus
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