The Mirror of the Word and other works by C.E. White can be purchased on her website, cewhitebooks.com or on Amazon

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a person sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary.”

—Galatians 6:7–9

Sometimes we do grow weary of doing good and putting to death the deeds of the body (Romans 8:13). We look at people having their worldly fun, living as they please, thinking mostly of themselves, and by all appearances, doing just fine. 

So we wonder . . . is it worth it?

Dying to self (Romans 6:6), choosing others over ourselves (Philippians 2:3), carrying a cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23), being self–disciplined and choosing not to satisfy the many lusts of the flesh (anything that has us wanting it now) (1 Peter 4:2), and loving our enemies (Matthew 5:44) is not easy.

But neither is the path of self–indulgence. That road leads to hardship, ill health, ruin, broken relationships, and ultimately, eternal destruction. 

Doing good and living righteously are hard, but they reap immeasurable long–term rewards and pleasure. Sin reaps short–term pleasure (Hebrews 11:25) but ends with much harder and more destructive consequences.

We can see this even in our earthly lives. Exercising is hard, but so is being unhealthy. Sacrifice in marriage is hard, but so is divorce. Disciplining our kids with consistency is hard, but so is watching them go down a harmful path.

Following God is the ultimate long–term decision; the rewards are eternal, and we will reap them in the end if we do not give up.

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