Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

This passage needs to be trumpeted to everyone in the whole world! However, even if that were done, there would be many who would reject it. There are churches in the US today that essentially teach people to sow to their flesh, emphasizing the temporal over everything else. That is making the way to destruction broad! (Matthew 7:13-14) People do not like to be told there are consequences to their actions, but that doesn’t change reality. God is a God of grace and mercy. If that were not so, no one would stand any sort of chance of salvation, because every one of us has turned our backs on God at some point in some way. (Romans 3:10, 23) Many people today spend a lot of energy denying that is true, but denying it doesn’t change reality, because God cannot be mocked, as this passage says. Telling someone they have a cold instead of terminal cancer doesn’t keep them from dying. If we have no grasp of the consequences of rebellion against God, that is, sowing to the flesh and ignoring God, then we will have no grasp of the magnificence of God’s grace in sending Jesus to take the penalty for our sins on the cross.

I don’t like preaching “hellfire and brimstone,” but I probably need to do it more than once every few years! One of the biggest problems is that people don’t realize that ignoring God is sowing to their flesh. They think, “I’m not so bad,” but then they turn their backs on the guidance and other blessings that God offers them so freely. That never ends well. This is the biggest reason God allows trials and even disasters in our lives, to shake us hard enough to get our attention so that we will look at Him instead of constantly at our flesh. A frequent theme of mine is taking our eyes off of ourselves and our problems and fixing them on Christ. It amazes me and breaks my heart the resistance I’ve gotten, from Christians, even, to that message. I have been accused of being uncaring and worse, simply because I’ve tried to help people understand that God is bigger than their problems. My flesh wants me to quit trying, but as Paul said in verse 9, I need not to grow weary in doing good, but rather keep sowing in the Holy Spirit so that I will reap the harvest I desire, and that God desires for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder and encouragement. I do get tired of preaching and teaching the same truths over and over again, but then You have done that for me, so I have no room to complain. I cannot be effective without the help of Your Spirit, so I ask for that anointing, for this Sunday and all the time. May I continually sow Your Word of truth into people’s hearts and lives by Your Spirit, so that there may be a rich harvest of salvation in Your kingdom, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!