Verse of the Day 11-25-22

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:7-10

Before we dive into these verses we need to know the foundation for these verses and in order to do that we are going to start with Galatians 5:16-26. It is in this section of Paul’s letter to the Galatian church that he directly lays down, probably for the first time, the principle of living by the Spirit’s Power. In this section Paul is laying down the fact that there are two warring desires at work in our lives and these two warring desires will each produce their own “fruit.” The first warring desire is the “desires of your sinful nature,” which produce the following “fruit:”

1. Sexual immorality
2. Impurity
3. Lustful pleasures
4. Idolatry
5. Sorcery
6. Hostility
7. Quarreling
8. Jealousy
9. Outbursts of anger
10. Selfish Ambition
11. Dissension
12. Division
13. Envy
14. Drunkenness
15. Wild Parties

The second warring desire is the desires of the Holy Spirit, which produces the following “fruit:”

1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Patience
5. Kindness
6. Goodness
7. Faithfulness
8. Gentleness
9. Self-Control

Paul ends this section by telling us that in order end this on going war between “the desires of your sinful nature” (Galatians 6:19) and the desires of the Holy Spirit is to nail the passions and desires of our sinful nature to the cross so that can be crucified there. This then leads directly into the next section of background that we must look at, Galatians 6:1-6.

After laying down the principle of living by the Spirit’s Power in Galatians 5:16-26, Paul then builds on that principle by telling us in Galatians 6:1-10 that we harvest what we plant. Paul divides this section into four parts: vv. 1-3 deals sharing each others burdens; vv. 4-5 deals with our need to compare ourselves with others; v. 6 deals specifically with supporting those who are in ministry; and vv. 7-10 serves as a conclusion to this larger section dealing with living by the Spirit’s Power and harvesting what we plant.

In verses 1-3 Paul tells us that no Christian should ever that they are totally independent and does not need help from others, and that no one should feel excused from the task of helping others. The body of Christ-the church-functions only when the members work together for the common good. Do you know someone who needs help? Is there a Christian brother or sister who needs correction or encouragement? Then humbly and gently reach out to that person offering to lift his or her load (John 13:34-35).

In verses 4-5 Paul tells that when we do our very best, we feel good about the results and there is no need to compare ourselves with others. We make comparisons for many reasons. Some of us point out others’ flaws in order to feel better about ourselves. Others of us simply want reassurance that we are doing well. But when we are tempted to compare, we should look at Jesus. Why? Because his example will inspire us to do our very best, and his loving acceptance will comfort us when we fall short of our expectations.

In verse 6 Paul says that students should take care of the material needs of their teachers (1 Corinthians 9:7-12). Why? Because it is easy to receive the benefit of good Bible teaching and then to take our spiritual leaders for granted, ignoring their financial and physical needs. Paul is reminding us that we should be caring for our teachers, not grudgingly or reluctantly, but rather with a generous spirit, showing honor and appreciation for all they have done (1 Timothy 5:17 and 18).

Now that we laid the ground work we can deal with Paul’s conclusion to this larger section, that is found in verses 7-10.

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

Let’s spilt this conclusion into two parts: vv. 7-8 and vv. 9-10. Verses 7-8 say this: “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”

One would be surprised if one, let’s say, planted corn and pumpkins came up. Why? Because it is a natural law that one harvests what one plants. And this is true in other areas as well. If we gossip about our friends, we will lose the friendships we have. In other words, for action there is an equal and opposite reaction, to borrow a quote from physics. Therefore, if we plant to please our own desires, we will harvest a crop of sorrow and evil. And if we plant to please God, we will harvest joy and everlasting life. So what kind of seeds are you planting?

Verses 9-10 say this: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”

It can be discouraging to continue to do right and to receive no word of thanks or to see no tangible results. And in answer to this dilemma Paul issues a challenges to the Galatians and to us to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. Paul is reminding us that in due time we will reap a harvest of blessing, but that will only happen if we are living by the Spirit’s power.

Today’s Bible Readings:

Daniel 1:1-2:23, 1 Peter 3:8-4:6, Psalm 119:65-80 and Proverbs 28:14