Clipping Coupons

Galatians 6:9
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Most people are very impatient with the process of sowing and reaping. Because we live in a society that desires everything to happen immediately, we can quickly become impatient with waiting for the good to happen. One thing I have learned through life is that the greatest blessings of God are experienced through decades. Most people give up well before the time that they were going to enjoy the greatest blessings of life.

My pastor from years ago used to say that one thing he enjoyed about getting older is being able to clip the coupons in life. What he meant was that the older he got, the more he reaped the benefits of the ministry. Now that I am in my 50s, I am beginning to see the fruit of decades of serving God. People that I once influenced years ago are letting me know how I helped them. The joy of not quitting is paying off the older I get. The older I get, the more I am able to clip the coupons of serving God. My friend, my desire for you is to be able to enjoy the joy of clipping coupons when you get older. Let me share what it will take to be able to clip coupons when you get older.

First, you must sow good works to be able to clip coupons. You cannot reap if you don’t sow. You will never be able to clip coupons if you are not working in the LORD’s work. You cannot have bus kids grow up and serve the LORD if you are not working on a bus route. You cannot have children you taught in a Sunday school class grow up and become pillars in a church if you don’t teach a Sunday school class. You cannot have people you led to Christ come back and thank you for leading them to Christ if you don’t go soul winning. If you want to clip coupons when you get older, you are going to have to sow seeds of serving the LORD for that to happen.

Second, you must be patient to be able to clip coupons. Sowing is only the beginning of the harvest. Too many people change course because they didn’t get an immediate harvest once they sowed. Nobody has ever planted a kernel of corn and immediately reaped a stalk with ears of corn on it. No, they had to wait through the seasons before getting to the harvest. Likewise, you must be patient with the seasons if you want to reap the harvest of clipping coupons. Don’t be quick to change what you are doing. Be consistent with doing right, and you will one day be able to clip coupons when you are older.

Third, you must not become weary with doing right. It is not easy to sow, and sow, and sow. It is difficult, but you must not become weary with doing right. It is tiresome to serve the LORD, but don’t become weary with the sowing season. It is not easy to run a bus week in and week out, but you must continue to run that bus if you want to clip coupons. My friend, if you didn’t become weary with serving the LORD, I would question whether you are putting any effort into serving the LORD. Those who have clipped coupons, or are clipping coupons, worked through tired and weary to get to the point that they could clip the coupons of the ministry.

Fourth, you must not faint if you are going to clip coupons. Don’t lose the passion and fire of what you are doing. Don’t let the heartache of the ministry cause you to become halfhearted in what you do. If you don’t faint, you will one day be able to enjoy the privilege of clipping coupons.

Author: Allen Domelle