"Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he 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" (Gal 6:7-8).
The principle of sowing and reaping is evident at this time of the year. Farmers who planted soybeans are harvesting soybeans. And in the fields where they planted corn, they are harvesting corn.
In the last post, we considered sowing to the flesh that leads to corruption.
The end of verse 8 states, "...the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life."
Just as feeding our minds and filling our time with satisfying our passions will lead to disappointment and destruction, feeding our minds and filling our time with godly pursuits will lead to spiritual blessings.
So what does that look like?
1. Reading the Bible
The only source for knowing God is through reading the Bible. Oodles of methods are out there. Just do it. The more time and energy you invest, the more you will reap. It's not a matter of knowing more about the Bible; it's a matter of knowing God through the Bible.
2. Prayer
Prayer is our communication with God. Praise, thanksgiving, requests, fellowship - all those are part of prayer. The more time we spend in prayer, the more we are investing in our spiritual lives.
3. Community
God did not call us to be Lone Ranger Christians. He called the people of Israel. He called the church. He instituted the local church. He calls for believers to be involved in a local community to help them to grow and to help others to grow.
4. Service
When we are living to satisfy our passions, we are living for ourselves. God calls us to live for others. Through a life of service, we should be investing the spiritual lives of others, and reaping spiritual benefits for ourselves.
5. Suffering
No one wants to suffer, but that's the way life is. Life's tough. Get used to it. But the way we suffer will help us to grow spiritually. We will learn dependence on God. We will learn to help others when they suffer.
6. Anticipation
We have a bright future. Not when we graduate from school. Not when we get married and have kids. not when we retire. Those are all pretty paltry in comparison to the future that awaits us in glory at the right hand. We should be living in anticipation of our resurrection, being united with Christ for all of eternity at the right hand of God.
You might add more to the list.
While making a list is a good exercise, practicing those things is what will bring the fruit.
A farmer may know all that he needs to know. But if he doesn't go to the trouble of preparing the soil and planting the seed, there will be no harvest.
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