June 29
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart,” Galatians 6:7-10.
The text above begins with a solemn warning: “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked!” One deceives himself if he tries to convince himself that if he believes in Christ as Lord and Savior, he can still live according to the flesh with all its sinful desires. Paul states clearly, “God is not mocked.” The verb “mocked” is better translated as “sneered at.” In our daily expression, it means “to turn up the nose” at God. Don’t try it! At times you can “get by people,” as we say, but the person who can “get by God” has not been born! God’s Word is clear: “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.”
If one lives according to the desires of one’s sinful flesh, one will pay a price. It could be the ruination of one’s body and mind. Examples of this are seen in the results of excessive drinking of alcoholic beverages, smoking pot, and using other health-destroying drugs.
There are also consequences as a result from sexual activity outside of the bond of marriage.
Let us avoid sowing to the flesh, which eventually results in corruption of body and soul. By contrast, Paul adds, “He who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” Sowing to the Spirit refers to the new nature that is in us by the power of the Holy Spirit, who calls us out of spiritual darkness into the glorious light of the Gospel. Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit calls us to repentance and faith. He shows us the seriousness and the consequence of living in sin. He brings us to true repentance and a heartfelt sorrow for sin. He touches our hearts to confess our sins. Then He moves the sorrowing sinner to lift up his eyes and behold the loving face of our forgiving Father, who sent His only begotten Son to suffer and die for our redemption. Through faith and trust in the Lord Jesus as God’s Son and our Savior, we are promised the gift of eternal life in the halls of heaven, where Jesus has gone before us to prepare a place for us.
Until we are called home, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” We are urged to continue in the faith until the end of life’s journey, and then we will be received into the heavenly mansions to be with Jesus forever.
“The King of Love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never;
I nothing lack if I am His,
And He is mine forever.
Perverse and foolish, oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, bro’t me.” Amen.