Sowing and Reaping

-


Scripture: Galatians 6:7-8 (ESV)

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 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.

Devotion:

            It is spring here in farming country of the midwestern United States. It has been a late and wet spring causing the farmers to be well behind where they would like to be at this time of the year with their planting. However, the farmer goes ahead and sows his crop in hopes of reaping a good crop in the fall.

            So, Paul in this scripture talks about sowing and reaping in a spiritual not agricultural way. He begins by calling us to be clear eyed realists regarding sowing and reaping. If one plants corn in the spring one cannot expect to reap soybeans from that field in the fall. Paul is telling the Galatians and us to be wise and understand that sowing and reaping are interrelated.

            Even in the spiritual realm there can be no doubt what a person sows that they shall also reap. Just what does sowing to the flesh look like and how do we sow to the spirit? What do we reap because of our sowing? These are the kinds of questions that we should ask ourselves regarding these words to us from Paul’s pen.

            To answer these questions, we must back up one chapter in the letter to chapter 5 where Paul lists for us the fruit of the spirit and the works of the flesh:

                                19 Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality,             20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions,            divisions,              21 envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you              before, that        those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit                of the Spirit is     love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness,   self-control;        against such things there is no law.

            Here we see the results of our sowing and reaping clearly displayed. Those who sow to the flesh reap terrible consequences so terrible in fact they lead to eternal death. While those who sow to the Spirit reap benefits which lead to eternal life. Those who sow to the flesh are concerned only with their own needs. Those who sow to the Spirit always look to please God and others. Loving them as Christ loves us and gave himself on the cross for us.

Let us pray:

            Father in heaven, hear our cry to you today. May we seek to sow good seed in the field of our lives that we may receive the harvest of eternal life. Keep us from being self-centered and greedy for earthly gain. Help us to seek to plant according to your greatest commandment. “Love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul, and our neighbor as ourselves.” We pray that others will find us to be faithful servants of yours. Amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcoming the Unwelcome

-
  Scripture: Luke 7:36-38 (NIV) 36  When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. 37  A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. 38  As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Devotion:             First of all, some warnings to my readers. This post will exceed the 500 words I try to limit my posts. Second, this post will contain content people may find offensive or otherwise unfit for print. Please understand that my purpose is neither to offend nor upset but to provoke thought and, hopefully, respectful dialog.             We will use Luke chapter seven as an aid to interpreting the events that occurred last Thursday at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. On that da
Read more

Father Forgive Them

-
  Scripture: Luke 23:33-34 (ESV) 33  And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34  And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Devotion:             The situation Jesus finds himself in here in today’s scripture is difficult for us to even imagine. A sham trial, no credible accusations of any kind, let alone any deserving of death, and yet here he is. A brilliant Rabbi, a teacher of the people who never led even one person astray from God’s will. This Holy One of God soon to be food for vultures.             This man who had done nothing wrong had no one in all the crowds who would speak up in his defense lest they be next to face the cross. An innocent man hung between two scoundrels. No voice from heaven declaring that this was the man that they were killing was actually the true Son of God. (See Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5, John 12:28) No the heaven
Read more

Transgenderism letter

-
  This is a copy of my letter to my senators, representative, and President Biden. January 15, 2024 Dear President Biden, Senators T. Duckworth, R. Durbin, and Representative D. LaHood             I am writing to you because I am concerned about the situation affecting our children and grandchildren, namely transitioning them from one gender to another. This nation must adjust course concerning these “interventions” because they are dangerous, irreversible, and life-changing. Our country should not be permitting these procedures on minor children under any circumstances. We must also make sure that adults who seek this care are given informed consent as to the risks versus benefits of sex reassignment treatments.             There are many drawbacks to gender-affirming care for minors. Besides the loss of any ability to give or receive sexual pleasure and sterility these treatments cause, there are social and psychological effects that we have no way of identifying because these
Read more