You Reap What You Sow - Gospel Freedom in Galatians - November 20 Readings: Galatians 6:6-10

 

 

Gospel Freedom in Galatians  

Background: What was the key issue in the early church? Race. Culture. Issues that are still with us today. The church at its inception on Pentecost was essentially 100% Jewish and the Apostles and the church in Jerusalem seemed content to keep it that way. Then God called a Pharisee named Saul to salvation and set him aside as an Apostle to the Gentiles. Over the next 30 years, the church became primarily Gentile with a Jewish minority, and many Jews fought it. 

Galatians was Paul's first letter, written at the end of his first missionary journey when Gentiles began to come to Christ in droves. A group, sometimes called Judaizers and sometimes the circumcision party, opposed the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. If they were to be part of the church, they needed to become Jewish - follow the law and Jewish rituals. Paul fought them tooth and nail his entire ministry. The gospel was for the whole world. 

Galatians is a powerful argument for a gospel free from the works of the law. 

As often as time allows, the reader is encouraged to read the entire book - it will not take more than a few minutes. Each day we will work our way through the book passage by passage. 

Today's Reading:  Galatians 1-6  Focus Passage - Galatians 6:6-10

Let the one who is taught the word share all his good things with the teacher. 7 Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, 8 because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. 9 Let us not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Through the Bible Readings: Ezekiel 45-46, Hebrews 11:15–40, Psalm 127, Proverbs28:15–16

If you wish to read through the Bible in a year, follow these readings. 

Devotional: You Reap What You Sow     

I love tomatoes. I love to eat them fresh off the vine. I love the salsa my wife makes. I love to slice the tomatoes and put them on sandwiches. I love tomatoes. So, in spring, I planted a garden. I planted some pepper seeds, and a few corn seeds, and arugula (I actually don't even know what arugula is). The plants grew up strong and healthy, but when harvest time came, I was deeply disappointed. There were NO tomatoes anywhere! Not a one. 

Can you believe that? 

Of course, you can. You know that since I love to eat tomatoes, I planted to tomato seeds (actually, I bought small plants, not seeds). If you want to harvest tomatoes, you have to plant tomatoes. You can't plant corn and beans and peppers and arugula and hope to harvest tomatoes. That is one of the basic principles of nature. 

You reap what you sow. 

It is also a moral principle. If you sow to the flesh, you reap corruption - the deadly consequences of the flesh. If you sow to the Spirit, you reap the blessings of God's Spirit in your life. This is the fundamental teaching of the book of Proverbs. Life is choices and choices have consequences. If you want your life to be lived under the blessing of God, then sow seeds of repentance, obedience, and holiness. If you sow seeds of rebellion, wickedness, and worldliness, do not expect your life to be lived under the blessing of God. 

You cannot sow the seeds of the flesh and expect to reap the harvest of the Spirit. 

Our faith is rooted in the activity of God. We are saved and sanctified because of the work of God in our lives through Jesus Christ. But as the redeemed, the seed we choose every day makes a huge difference. 

Choose carefully the seed you will sow today. It will bring a harvest in your life one day. 

Father, help me to be very careful today about the seed that I sow. May I sow to the Spirit to reap the blessings of life. 

Think and Pray:

What seed are you sowing daily?