Words from the Heart

And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

2 Thessalonians 3:13 NIV

Do Not Grow Weary

The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults, released in October 2020, recommend 7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep for adults aged 18 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours for adults aged 65 and older, on a regular basis, with consistent sleep and wake times for health benefits. Mean sleep duration was 7.9 hours for adults aged 18 to 64, with 77% meeting sleep duration recommendation.

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I was speaking with a friend the other day and he told me he was exhausted. He’s a bi-vocational pastor working hard at getting a church started while holding down another full-time job and trying to make his family his priority. He finally confessed that a big part of the problem was that he had so little support and encouragement. This can so easily happen in anyone’s life. Paul understood this and so wrote words of encouragement to the Christians in Thessalonica. In 2 Thessalonians 3:13 he says, “And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” What Paul is not saying here is “never tire.” There were times when Jesus had to get away from the crowds to get some rest. We all do. Doing good in a broken world will, however, cost us something. It takes patience when others are difficult, generosity when resources feel thin, and faithfulness when no one seems to applaud. Yet Paul gently calls us to keep going. Why? Because doing good is never wasted, and you can depend on God’s sustaining grace.

These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley