Never Too Tired (Friday Devotional)

“For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right.”

- 2 Thessalonians 3:11-13

Well, that was exhausting.

No doubt your mind is still on the presidential election in the wake of its conclusion several days ago. Some are happy with the result while others are frightened by it; some have called for unity and others for protest. It remains to be seen what sort of job Donald Trump will do as president and whether the country will unite behind his leadership.

What is not debatable is that, irrespective of the result, we have just finished a horrible election. At the water cooler, around the dinner table, and especially on social media, this election brought out the worst in the American citizenry, who let the nastiness of partisanship infiltrate the formerly safe sanctuaries of family, work, and yes, the church. In the final days of the campaign, we largely defined our neighbors by who they were voting for, reducing their character to their choice of candidate. And we are worse for having done so.

There will (hopefully) be plenty of introspection and soul searching in the days ahead about our national identity and how we move forward under a President Trump, but this is not the space for that. Both parties will have to ask hard questions about who they represent and why, but this is not the space for that either. Instead, I want to offer a word of biblical encouragement to my fellow believers: “Do not be weary in doing what is right.”

Just like for everyone else, the nastiness of the election pushed a lot of Christians over lines Jesus would not have crossed. Many of us inflicted wounds that I pray will heal with repentance and time—but even in healing there will be scars to remind everyone of the initial trauma. There will be understandable calls, from within the church and outside it, for God’s people to mind their own business and tend to their own house. Exhausted by the nastiness of public engagement, a temptation will emerge to withdraw from the work of the gospel and to stay where it’s safe, within the church walls.

But do not be weary in doing what is right. It is good for the church to reexamine how it works for Christ, to reevaluate its relationship with politics and with those we disagree with. The means of gospel engagement are always up for revision. But the end is not. Our call as believers in Christ is to serve our Lord faithfully, to be salt and light to a hurting world, and that is not a call that one election, no matter how exhausting, can silence.

So do not be weary in doing what is right. If you were hurt by a friend’s words during the election—and especially if you were the source of hurt—then pursue forgiveness and reconciliation. If you spent the election worrying about your pocketbook, then reach into it and give to someone in need. If you want to see the nation turn to Christ, then go share the Gospel with someone, not with an Internet meme or a Facebook post but with a personal conversation.

You can be weary of politics and elections—I think we all are. But do not be weary in doing what is right. We serve a Savior whose kingdom was not from this world, whose gospel was not bound to a candidate, and who proclaimed the gospel with his words, his example, and his actions all the way to the cross, where his weary body was given for sinners like you and me. May we follow his lead, never too exhausted to do what is right.