Galatians 6:7-8
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."
It was Henry Cloud and John Townsend (the authors of "Boundaries") that got me to attend to this life principle: I reap what I sow (unless, as they point out, someone else comes along to "rescue" me and then they end up reaping from what I've sown). But where did they get it? Galatians 6:7. Reading this verse in context of Galatians is very powerful.... and potentially life-changing. So, here we go:
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
Remember the reference to deception in Gal. 6:3? It's about someone thinking they are something when they are nothing. It is this kind of deception - an overinflated sense of one's power - that would allow a person to think they could mock God (or make a fool of God). But this is impossible - God cannot be mocked. Eventually, all people will reap what they sow.*
The passage then goes on to talk about two possible paths - sowing to the sinful nature or sowing to the Spirit. The path of sowing to please our sinful nature (as described in part in Gal. 5:19-21) is one that ends in destruction. The path of sowing to please the Spirit (or in Gal. 5:16 language "living by the Spirit") is one that leads to eternal life. The choice of paths seems so clear when we look towards the destination. Of course we want to avoid destruction and inherit eternal life! But why do we struggle to "keep in step with Spirit"(Gal.5:25)? Why are there times when the desires of the sinful nature seem almost too strong to resist? I'm thinking of times when everything in me wants to embrace envy or hatred. Or when I do what appears to be "God's work" but it is for selfish gain.
I cannot attempt to discuss the many possible reasons for the war between the flesh and Spirit in this brief blog but I want to propose an idea: our ability to sow to please the Spirit is linked to the personal work we each need to do as described in Galatians 6:1-5. Living our life before God and others in a humble attitude, facing ourselves honestly, testing our actions before God, not comparing to others, and being willing to listen to correction from mature Christians can give us the sensitivity and inner awareness to know whether or not we are sowing to please the Spirit or the flesh. Being willing to carry our own load gives us the wisdom and courage to look at the long-term impact of our immediate choices and to rely on God's Spirit to enable us to walk in His ways. This sort of life bears fruit.... fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). And that fruit is a taste of the eternal life with God that is to come!
Simple Application Point with Significant Consequences:
In all you do, sow to please the Spirit!
*Note: this doesn't mean that everything we experience is a direct result of what we have sown. Others sin against us, natural disasters happen, tragedy strikes, etc. Life is unpredictable but God is faithful. When it looks like the wicked are prospering while the righteous are suffering, we need to remember that ultimately people reap what they sow.
It was Henry Cloud and John Townsend (the authors of "Boundaries") that got me to attend to this life principle: I reap what I sow (unless, as they point out, someone else comes along to "rescue" me and then they end up reaping from what I've sown). But where did they get it? Galatians 6:7. Reading this verse in context of Galatians is very powerful.... and potentially life-changing. So, here we go:
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."
Remember the reference to deception in Gal. 6:3? It's about someone thinking they are something when they are nothing. It is this kind of deception - an overinflated sense of one's power - that would allow a person to think they could mock God (or make a fool of God). But this is impossible - God cannot be mocked. Eventually, all people will reap what they sow.*
The passage then goes on to talk about two possible paths - sowing to the sinful nature or sowing to the Spirit. The path of sowing to please our sinful nature (as described in part in Gal. 5:19-21) is one that ends in destruction. The path of sowing to please the Spirit (or in Gal. 5:16 language "living by the Spirit") is one that leads to eternal life. The choice of paths seems so clear when we look towards the destination. Of course we want to avoid destruction and inherit eternal life! But why do we struggle to "keep in step with Spirit"(Gal.5:25)? Why are there times when the desires of the sinful nature seem almost too strong to resist? I'm thinking of times when everything in me wants to embrace envy or hatred. Or when I do what appears to be "God's work" but it is for selfish gain.
I cannot attempt to discuss the many possible reasons for the war between the flesh and Spirit in this brief blog but I want to propose an idea: our ability to sow to please the Spirit is linked to the personal work we each need to do as described in Galatians 6:1-5. Living our life before God and others in a humble attitude, facing ourselves honestly, testing our actions before God, not comparing to others, and being willing to listen to correction from mature Christians can give us the sensitivity and inner awareness to know whether or not we are sowing to please the Spirit or the flesh. Being willing to carry our own load gives us the wisdom and courage to look at the long-term impact of our immediate choices and to rely on God's Spirit to enable us to walk in His ways. This sort of life bears fruit.... fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). And that fruit is a taste of the eternal life with God that is to come!
Simple Application Point with Significant Consequences:
In all you do, sow to please the Spirit!
*Note: this doesn't mean that everything we experience is a direct result of what we have sown. Others sin against us, natural disasters happen, tragedy strikes, etc. Life is unpredictable but God is faithful. When it looks like the wicked are prospering while the righteous are suffering, we need to remember that ultimately people reap what they sow.
Comments
Post a Comment