Galatians 6: 7-10
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
v. 7 – God cannot be mocked. – Those who take God or His power lightly are deceived. He IS in control! In the universe, God has established physical and spiritual laws that will not change. And whether you believe He is in control or not, these laws will remain constant.
One of these unchangeable laws is – You will reap what you sow. This means your action today will determine the result of tomorrow. Our temptation is to jump into decisions too quickly, or look for a quick fix. We need to consider the effects down the road. What we have done in the past may boomerang. (What goes around, comes around!). Sometimes, we may not see the results in our life time. But it is a sure thing. It will affect someone, somewhere, sometime.
v. 8 – How you sow too, will determine the results. You have to make a choice – Sowing to please the sinful nature or sowing to please the Spirit. Your choice will bring life or death! E.g. Difference between declaring the truth of God vs. lies of the enemy. (Proverbs 18:21)
v. 9a “Let us not become weary in doing good …” – The test of your sowing is time. It will tell the quality of seeds you are sowing and how you have sown. Seeds need time to grow. We need to wait for the harvest. This is where we practise the fruit of the Spirit – patience. This waiting period is where weariness could creep in. As day by day, it looks like nothing is happening, and we start to wonder…
This “middle period” is a crucial period. It is true of our lives. E.g. the mid-life crisis. All have to face this most difficult period of all, where the wearing out of resilience, vigour, passion, vision, etc. happens. It could happen to a church, ministry, family, person’s life. (Adapted from Explore Sermons by Dr. Lloyd-Jones)
v. 9c “if we do not give up…” – “if” signifies a choice. We could choose to give up and lose the harvest plus all efforts previously invested. Giving up is the 1st danger we face when we are feeling weary. Many people started off well but gave up too soon out of impatience, lack of self-control, and lack of discipline only to regret later.
2nd danger – resign yourself to it, putting up with it and dragging on. Doing it out of duty, losing the joy, hope and passion.
3rd danger – Resort to artificial stimulant. Adopt a quick solution, a new program to inject “life.” Such resultant relief is only temporary.
At the beginning of the covid-19 lock-down, perhaps you and your family have decided to align with God’s purposes, grow in godly character, listen to His voice more closely, walk with Him more intimately, etc. These are good seeds that you have sowed. Now, after about 3 months (100 days), are you feeling over stretched? Starting to wonder – when is this going to be over?
If so, hang in there! Sowing is all about the future. What you sow today, you will not see the returns until the next season. And it is worth the wait. Understand that the waiting period is also growing period. In addition, the assured harvest that is coming will encourage you to be more patient.
v. 9b “… we will reap a harvest …” – The harvest is certain. In the harvest, what comes back to you is always greater than what you sowed! (That’s why farmers do what they do) If you plant a wheat seed, it will turn into a wheat stalk that can produce hundreds of wheat seeds. Jesus talked about a harvest of 30, 60, and 100-fold (Mark 4:20).
Also, if you want a good harvest, you have to sow good seeds. If you want a big harvest, you have to sow more seeds. Paul talks about this in 2 Cor 9:6 – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
v. 10 – To do good is sowing to please the Spirit (v.8). We are encouraged to do good to all people when we have the opportunity, regardless of their social status, colour, gender, culture, etc. Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan shows that the Samaritan did not inquire whether the wounded man was “one of his kind.” The only criterion was that he needed an act of “goodness” in his desperate situation.
Prayer: Father, thank you that You are in control, and for establishing the law of sowing and reaping! For the seeds that my family and I have sowed, please grant us the patience, discipline and self-control to wait for the harvest. Based on your Word, we look forward to a good harvest of 30, 60 and a 100-fold increase. As You bless us abundantly, help us to be sensitive to those in need, and to do good to them when we have the opportunity. In Jesus’ name, amen.