John 4:1-6 – Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

THEME OF THE DAY: IT’S JUST PART OF THE CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE. Remember the portion of scripture where the Apostle Paul wrote, “And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up”? It is found in Galatians 6:9. It is also located in the context of two things. First, the battle of not giving into our flesh and feeding it. The other theme is carrying one another’s burdens. Or we may say practicing Biblical fellowship of serving one another.

The more one goes on and matures in Christ, the more one starts to really get why the Apostle Paul would exhort us “to not grow weary in well doing.” He isn’t writing to us in a generic way telling us “don’t get tired in living life.” He is talking about Christians who are putting to death selfishness by denying the lusts and passions of the flesh and giving themselves over to carrying the heavy burdens in life of other believers. And when believers start doing these Christ-exalting actions, weariness or fatigue comes.

First there will be spiritual fatigue. If we are daily putting to death sin; striving for holiness and knowing the Lord, we will get weary in the fight. The devil, the world, and our flesh never take a vacation, never cut us slack, and will never negotiate a cease-fire with us. The battle against these foes is constant and will never end this side of heaven. The Christian who fails to remember and live this truth will be spiritually defeated quickly and consistently. The signs of a spiritual casualty are joylessness, and a sense of spiritual failure making one weary, even feeling like giving up. Look at the end of Galatians 6:9. There may have been some Galatian Christians ready to toss in the spiritual towel, defeated and discouraged so the Apostle Paul writes this encouragement to them to press on, fight on against sin.

In obeying the command to do good, there will also be physical fatigue. Just like we read of with our Lord Jesus in today’s scripture. He just finished a long and difficult journey. He was wearied as He stops at Jacob’s well. The word “wearied” means to “have toiled, worked hard, to exhaust from overuse, to stress”. This wasn’t Jesus being a little tired. He was exhausted. He was physically spent. And what did He do? He served. He carried the burden of a woman shackled with sin and gave her the liberating truth or spiritual water of Himself. Friends, if we are going to obey the command to “carry one another’s burdens”, we will get tired. We will know physical fatigue. We must. It characterized Jesus. And why so? Because to carry one another’s burdens, we must be in their lives to not only know their burdens, but be available to carry them. I know when I need a brother to encourage me, pray with me, and carry my burdens, I don’t get to pick the time I feel overwhelmed. Burdens don’t work on a convenient schedule of mine and others. More often than not a hurting brother and sister will need us when it isn’t convenient. And that means times of extending ourselves both physically and spiritually leading to the reality of Paul’s exhortation – “don’t grow weary in doing good.” Jesus didn’t and He has promised to enable us to know His joy as our strength as we extend ourselves in the lives of other believers to be burden bearers.

So, when the email comes, the phone rings, the text hits our phone, or the knock at the door arrives and on the other end of these means of communicating is a hurting brother or sister who needs a burden-bearer, remember Jesus and be like Him. Growing weary in serving our Lord and His people is simply part of the Christian experience.

PRAYER: “Lord, I praise You for not leaving me to myself to live out Your commands.”

QUOTE: “Don’t underestimate the power of worship.  It is one of God’s strengthening graces”