Hello folks. It is the beginning of another week. I hope last week was productive for you.
This week we will be concluding this section of Galatians that focuses on the responsibilities placed on us as recipients of God's grace.
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith” Galatians 6: 9 & 10 (King James Version)
Last week we considered the immutable principle of sowing and reaping, this week I'd like us to focus on the issue of consistency in sowing the right seed. The verses in focus call us to continuity, perseverance, persistence and patience in godly practice. They describe an attitude that never gives up, even in the face of daunting challenges.
As believers in Christ, we are born of the Spirit and we live in the Spirit. As you will recall from earlier posts on walking in the Spirit, a characteristic of people who walk in the Spirit is goodness- that attribute of moral and spiritual excellence that is manifested in active kindness. Very many believers in Christ start out with a desire to walk in this reality. We start off sowing the right seeds, doing good as Galatians 6:9 says.
However, many times we become weary and give up. The challenges are usually two fold. On one hand there is the strong opposition all around us-evil influences that attempt to pull us to pull us away godly principles and practice (remember the Spirit versus the flesh description earlier in the series?). Then on the other hand, there is the weariness that comes to the heart when expected results are not visible after some periods of concerted effort. After all, Proverbs 13:12 says it well: “Hope deferred makes the heart sick…”
The encouragement today is an assurance that indeed we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Are you almost giving up? Have you lost hope in sowing for eternal benefits? Do you want to just relax and become unfruitful? A proper season of harvest is coming. God has perfect timing. He ensures that things fit into His plans accurately. So don’t give up and don’t let anything dissuade you from carrying on in sowing the right seeds.
There are many examples I could possibly draw on to illustrate this but one story jumps to my mind every time I read this portion of scripture. It is the story of Dorcas, a woman described as being “full of good works” (Acts 9:36-42). Dorcas probably epitomized goodness to all the believers in Joppa at that time. It does not seem likely that she would have received anything in return (in material substance) from the people she was helping and being good to, they were described as poor while there also widows among them. Dorcas became ill and died but you see the goodness she had displayed while she was alive played a major role in the events that led to her miraculous restoration to life after death.
Some of our harvest will be here on earth in our lifetime. Some of it will only become evident in years to come, perhaps after we have left this plane of existence. A good bit of our harvest will even be in eternity. Never-the-less, we need to be assured that at the proper time, God makes everything fall in place for the right harvest. So never give up. Remain consistent in sowing the right seed.
Have a great day and a wonderful week. We will view more snapshots of God’s amazing grace next week.
My song for the week is one from the last decade, "King Of Glory" by Third Day.
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