Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8
One of the verses referenced today is from Hosea: “they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Even people who don’t follow Jesus have heard of this verse. They may also know of another verse referenced here, from Romans 6: “for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Perhaps those two verses best list how to understand Galatians 6:8. When we live in unbelief, we’re living in sin and we earn for ourselves the whirlwind: the consequences of sin. They may just blow our world apart. Yet when we live following Christ, we realize that our unbelieving selves deserved that whirlwind – and death – but that God Himself gave us the way out, the way to eternal life, that is Jesus.
If you walk away from today’s post feeling irritated, guilty, or cocky, then I urge you to open your heart and get with God. Tell Him what you’re feeling and why. Paul’s verse here is a statement of fact as well as a statement of faith. We can cause destruction by the things we say and do. We can cause rejoicing in heaven by the things we say or do. We, as sentient humans, usually do both in living our lives. Paul is saying, “if you’re living for sinful things, you’re going to find ruin. And if you’re living for the Lord, you’re going to live with God forever.” Hosea reminded us that our sin leads to unpredictable ruin, and then Paul reminds us that God’s gift to us is Jesus, who forgives all our sins.
Sometimes, that’s a hard thing to say to a world that doesn’t want to hear it. Most of the world wants love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness and self-control. But most of the world also doesn’t want to give God His due in acknowledging those are the fruits of His Spirit. Instead of those nine fruits, most of the world is violence, disease, division, greed, and all the things that are opposite of what’s stated in Galatians 5. Hosea and Paul remind us that people who choose the ways of the world will get what the world gives them.
Yet Paul also reminds us that Jesus rewards those who believe in Him. In doing that, He also gives us harder work to do, namely to witness to all those others. But He promises to empower us, to do the work with us, and to always encourage and love us through it all. Hosea and Paul would agree.
For further reading: Job 4:8, Hosea 8:7, Romans 6:23, James 3:18, Galatians 6:9
Lord Jesus, abide with me as I walk through this world. Help me to be Your witness today.
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