Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
(Galatians 6:7-8, NASB)
Sometimes, we know some Scriptures so well, they become clichés rather than truths. How often do we say or hear “You reap what you sow”? Sometimes we even joke about it.
But this is no joking matter.
“God is not mocked,” Paul asserts. What we do on earth has eternal repercussions. We can’t do our own thing and satisfy the flesh, and then expect to show up in heaven. Yet that’s exactly what the world thinks.
You ask the average American if they believe in God and heaven, and some 80 percent will say they do. You ask them how to get to heaven, and most will say, “Be a good person.”
And what defines “good”? Most would say if the good things they do outweigh the bad.
That is not what God says. He demands and deserves our total surrender to Him. We cannot receive eternal life with Him just by trying to do good things or be a good person. We are to “sow to the Spirit.”
But what does that really mean? Sow to the Spirit?
When we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, when we accept His sacrificial death for our sins, and when serve Him as our living Savior, we are part of God’s family. We have the Spirit residing in us. And we begin to live according to the Spirit’s leading and the Father’s will.
Then we sow to the Spirit. We manifest His fruit. We strive to do, not just “good” things, but godly things. We love our neighbor as ourselves. We become burden-bearers. We use our God-given gifts to serve our heavenly Father.
And we’ll reap eternal life with God—Father, Son, and Spirit!
If we’re only living for ourselves and hoping that our good outweighs our bad, we’re actually sowing to our flesh. And what will we reap? Corruption. And eternal life separated from God—Father, Son, and Spirit.
What are you sowing? And, even more, what will you reap?
No comments:
Post a Comment