Galatians 6:7, 8 - We Reap What We Sow.
Galatians 6:7, 8 - We Reap What We Sow.
Galatians 6:7-8 (TNIV) Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.
People reap what they sow. Those who sow to please their sinful nature,
from that nature will reap destruction; those who sow to please the
Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8 (GW) Make no mistake about this: You can never
make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you'll harvest. 8
If you plant in {the soil of} your corrupt nature, you will harvest
destruction. But if you plant in {the soil of} your spiritual nature, you
will harvest everlasting life.
Galatians 6:7-8 (CWB) Don't be deceived. No one can fool God.
Whatever a man sows, that's what he will reap. 8 If a man invests his
time and energy in fulfilling the desires of his sinful nature, he'll
reap for himself spiritual decay and eternal death. But if he
invests his time and talents in what the Holy Spirit leads him to do,
then he'll reap spiritual strength and eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8 (MSG) Don't be misled: No one makes a fool of
God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants
selfishness, ignoring the needs of others--ignoring God! 8 harvests a crop of
weeds. All he'll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who
plants in response to God, letting God's Spirit do the growth work in
him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.
CONTEXT: Doing Good to All: Gal. 6:1-10.
APPLICATION COMMENTARY with emphasis on verses 7 & 8.
According to the law of the harvest you reap what you sow. If
you sow wheat, you reap wheat; if you sow weeds, you reap weeds; if
you sow wind, you reap wind. The law of the harvest operates in the
spiritual and moral realms as well as the physical. "Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap"
(Gal.6:7).... We should guard against sowing too much time, energy, and money
on clothes and recreation and parties and other means of
self-indulgence. We will reap nothing in terms of our eternal well-being from
these seeds. No wonder growing Christians are exhorted to "guard
yourselves from idols" (1Jo.5:21). Idols are not just the wood and stone
types that Israel turned to, but anything that steals our hearts and
minds away from total commitment to the Lord.... [David Reid; Time
with God devotional SB]
It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn and
pumpkins came up. It's a natural law to reap what we sow. It's true in
other areas too. If you gossip about your friends, you will lose their
friendship. Every action has results. If you plant to please your own
desires, you'll reap a crop of sorrow and evil. If you plant to please
God, you'll reap joy and everlasting life. What kind of seeds are you
sowing? [Life Application SB]
Think for a moment of your heart as a greenhouse ... And your
heart, like a greenhouse, has to be managed.
Consider for a moment your thoughts as seed. Some thoughts
become flowers. Others become weeds. Sow seeds of hope, and enjoy
optimism. Sow seeds of doubt, and expect insecurity. . .
The proof is everywhere you look. Ever wonder why some people
have the Teflon capacity to resist negativism and remain patient,
optimistic, and forgiving? Could it be that they have diligently sown seeds
of goodness and are enjoying the harvest?
Ever wonder why others have such a sour outlook? Such a gloomy
attitude? You would, too, if your heart were a greenhouse of weeds and
thorns. [Grace For The Moment SB By Max Lucado re Gal. 6:7]
According as your present life is, so will be your eternal life;
( Adam Clarke Commentary)
"Sow a thought, reap an action. Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny."
Our thoughts are the fabric with which we weave our character and
destiny. [Randy Alcorn; Time with God devotional SB]
Everything we do, right or wrong, has a consequence. Make the
choice to reap the benefits and blessings of obeying your loving King.
[The One Year Bible for New Believers re 1Sa.8:1-21]
The choice we make, to please the passions of our sinful nature
or to please the Spirit, will have a definite impact on our present
and eternity as well. [Victor Bible Reader's Companion]
Sin always brings consequences, and sometimes the consequences
are irreversible. [The One Year Bible for New Believers re 2 Kings
17:7-23]
Compromise with sin is not justifiable; its consequences are
guaranteed. Sometimes the consequences are immediate, but often they are
not, causing us to believe that we got away with our disobedience. We
cannot predict the timing, or the intensity, of the result of a sin.
Don't think that you know better than God or you'll learn your lesson
the hard way and perhaps hurt many others along with you. [The One
Year Bible for New Believers re 1Ki. 12:25-33]
It is blessedly true that God can and does forgive men for their
sins, but not even he can wipe out the consequence of sin. If a man
sins against his body, sooner or later he will pay in ruined
health--even if he is forgiven. If a man sins against his loved ones, sooner
or later hearts will be broken even if he is forgiven. John B.
Gough, the great temperance orator, who had lived a reckless early
life, used to declare in warning, "The scars remain." [Barclay
Commentary]
God says we always reap what we have sown. Even after we have
been forgiven, we must deal with the consequences of our actions. It
may take a season of time to finish harvesting the negative
consequences from our past, but we don't have to let this discourage us.
God can help us to grow a good crop which will become apparent with
time. [Life Recovery SB]
The Spirit of God keeps evil under the control of conscience.
When man exalts himself above the influence of the Spirit, he reaps a
harvest of iniquity. Over such a man the Spirit has less and less
influence to restrain him from sowing seeds of disobedience. Warnings have
less and less power over him. He gradually loses his fear of God. He
sows to the flesh; he will reap corruption. The harvest of the seed
that he himself has sown, is ripening. He has a contempt for God's
holy commandments. His heart of flesh becomes a heart of stone.
Resistance to truth confirms him in iniquity. It is because men sowed seeds
of evil, that lawlessness, crime, and violence prevailed in the
antediluvian world.
All should be intelligent in regard to the agency by which the
soul is destroyed. It is not because of any decree that God has sent
out against man. He does not make man spiritually blind. God gives
sufficient light and evidence to enable man to distinguish truth from
error. But He does not force man to receive truth. He leaves him free
to choose the good or to choose the evil. If man resists evidence
that is sufficient to guide his judgment in the right direction, and
chooses evil once, he will do this more readily the second time. The
third time he will still more eagerly withdraw himself from God and
choose to stand on the side of Satan. And in this course he will
continue until he is confirmed in evil, and believes the lie he has
cherished as truth. His resistance has produced its harvest. 6BC1112
When the word of God is set aside, its power to restrain the
evil passions of the natural heart is rejected. Men sow to the flesh,
and of the flesh they reap corruption. COL41
Everyone who is destroyed will have destroyed himself. Everyone
who stifles the admonitions of conscience is sowing the seeds of
unbelief, and these will produce a sure harvest. COL84-5
ILLUSTRATIONS
The Battle Inside
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle
that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2
wolves.
"One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority and ego.
The other is God. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion,
and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." [source
unknown]
Life Is An Echo
A son and his father were walking in the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the
mountain: "AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this echo, but really
this is life. It gives you back everything you say or do. Our life is
simply a reflection of our actions. If you want more love in the world,
create more love in your heart. If you want more competence in your
team, improve your competence. This relationship applies to
everything, in all aspects of life; life will give you back everything you
have given to it. [source unknown]
EXCELLENT MINI-VIDEO ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.itiswritten.com/television#episodes/3234
