SOWING AND REAPING

Gal. 6:7-9

Morning Meditation 12/15/2013

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

There are many different things from nature that the Lord uses in His word to illustrate spiritual things. Here Paul uses the farmers work of sowing and reaping. Everyone would understand this. So it is with our spiritual lives. We sow to the flesh and we reap what the flesh produces. We sow to the Spirit and we will reap what is produced by the Spirit. As we view this passage, let's see first of all Paul's,

WARNING ABOUT SELF DECEPTION

It is truly possible to deceive ourselves. This is one of the things mention that will happen in the last days. 2 Timothy 3:13 says, "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.." Someone has said that if a person lies often enough he will begin to believe his own lies.

We as Christians are to walk in truth. We must see ourselves as we really are and build a backlog of truth to expose lies. Proverbs 3:5-7, "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." These are good verses for us to memorize and call to mind when information comes to the staging area of our minds. We should work through information and sort it out with the Word of God. This way we will walk in truth and will not be controlled by the lies of false teachers or our own wrong reasoning.

The words "Be not deceived" translate "planao" and means, "to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way, to go astray, wander, roam about." It is a present passive imperative verb. The present tense means that Paul is calling for immediate action. The passive voice means that they are not to allow false information to deceive them. The imperative mood is a command expressing urgency. Paul is using Apostolic authority here. There have been many Christians who made ship wreck of their faith because they listened to the wrong people and allowed themselves to be led astray. God holds us responsible for allowing someone to lead us astray.

Paul says, "God is not mocked." This word means, "to turn up the nose or sneer at, to mock, deride." Sometimes a child might turn up the nose or sneer at a parent who set some guidelines that are not agreeable to the child. The child may turn up the nose at the rules and break them when the parent is not aware. But this can never happen with God. God sees all and will bring into account. No one will escape the all seeing eye of God.

GOD DOESN'T MISS ANYTHING

Paul says, "For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." One cannot sow disrespect and reap respect. One cannot sow disobedience and reap obedience. God judges the heart as well as the action. Someone might say, "Well, I really didn't know that this matter was as serious as it was." That might make some weight in a human court but not with God. God knows how much we understand and knows when we willingly act in disobedience. God doesn't miss a thing.

Paul is using a simple illustration that all will understand. When you sow wheat you do not prepare for a harvest of corn. That would be silly on the human scene. It is just as silly to think things are going to turn out right when we sow a sinful life and think that everything is going to turn out right in the time of harvest.

THE TWO FIELDS FOR SOWING

This is brought out in Galatians 6:8, "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting."

The flesh is put for the old man. It is what Adam became when he sinned in the garden of Eden. It is that fallen nature that is incapable of doing good. It is also passed on by Adam to the entire human race. Man inherits an adamic nature called the flesh. Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

This verse teaches that man is not a sinner because he sins but he sins because he is a sinner. It is man's nature to sin. God did not create him thus. God created man in His own image but with a will so he could choose. Many yielded to the temptation of Satan and died spiritually on the spot and flesh became his nature. Paul said in Romans 7:18, "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not."

Again Paul said in Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." When one is saved, he is no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit. He is a new creature created in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17).

So man can sow to the flesh and if he does the result is corruption. Or, he can sow to the Spirit and if he does the result is life everlasting.

Galatians 5:16, "This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh."

WAITING FOR THE HARVEST

Galatians 6:9, "And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not."

Some times it is difficult for one to continually do right when it seems that nothing good ever comes from it. The fact is that there are no crop failures with God. Every good seed will render a harvest. We had a preacher come to our church one time to preach a series of meetings. Every once in a while he would stop and say, "Will it be alright if the Lord waits to give you your reward for what you do for Him until the judgment seat of Christ?

That really emphasized a point that I needed made. The most of our rewards are going to be at the judgment seat of Christ. So it is wrong for us to think immediate planting will bring an immediate harvest.

Hebrews 10:36-39, "For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul." The idea in these verses is that there is a difference in time when we do the will of God and that we are rewarded for doing that will.

Now look at these verses. There is a contrast between those who do the will of God and exercise patience in receiving the promise. Then it says, "Now the just shall live by faith: But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. So the contrast is not between those who wait and don't wait. It is between those who wait and see the harvest and the others who also have genuine faith who are a little more exercised in the process of waiting. But they are not of them who draw back to perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. Whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. Every seed that is sown in the work of the Lord will bring up a harvest..

Sometimes the most difficult thing the sower does is wait for the harvest. Especially when the guy over in the next field is reaping almost as soon as he sows. Just remember, If you sow, you will reap. Let the Lord of the Harvest determine the time.. You will be amply rewarded for your faithfulness to sow.

May the Lord bless these words to our hearts.

In Christ

Bro. White