Sunday Ruminations - 1/27/2008

Be not deceived;  God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Galatians 6:7,8

This week’s verse is one that I’ve had memorized for probably 2 or 3 years now.  I memorized it specifically to help me in my struggle against lust and a lascivious thought life.  On the surface, it is pretty straightforward.  The analogy is, of course, from farming or gardening (which many of the verses in the Bible are based on, seeing that it is the world’s oldest profession [and not the other which is commonly called such]).  It says that what you plant is what you should expect to harvest at the harvest time.  If you plant wheat seeds, you should expect wheat.  Plant corn, then you get corn.  Same for the negative.  If you plant tulip bulbs, you shouldn’t expect roses.  You get the idea.  The spiritual application is the same principle.  If you sin, you shouldn’t expect anything other than the consequences of sin.  One of the clearest examples today is promiscuity and the consequences of unplanned parenthood (and the worse decisions that sometimes follow), diseases, hurt emotions and a generally warped view of sexuality.  Conversely, trusting in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour and receiving the Holy Spirit in your life to lead and guide you produces eternal life, just as the verse above says.

Recently, the Lord has been leading me to look at the verse in a way that I’ve not looked at it before and it has opened my eyes a little bit more to some truths that I have known, but have not really absorbed into my consciousness as of yet.  It’s so simple that someone would probably look at me and say “Duh?”, but yet for me it sheds a little light onto some of the issues that I have been struggling with for a long time without any tangible victory.  I’m not saying that it will revolutionize your life or even mine, but for me, at least, it makes me stop sometimes and think about what I am doing. 

When you plant something into the ground, usually you get some sort of fruit (unless you are like me and have the black thumb of death rather than a green thumb).  When I say fruit, I mean in the general sense (flower, fruit, corn, etc.).  But what else do you get?  Do you not also get seeds?  A sunflower is a perfect example.  Plant it in the springtime, watch it grow all summer and by fall, it is drooping with its face near to the ground, heavy with hundreds of seeds.  These seeds will then fall into the soil and produce the next crop of sunflowers, and so on.  Theoretically, one sunflower seed can multiply into hundreds or thousands of sunflowers in a few generations.  The same principle applies in the spiritual realm.  The Bible says “A little leaven leavens the whole lump”.  For men, most of whom are very visually oriented creatures, this is why second looks are so dangerous.  First glances sometimes can’t be avoided (especially in today’s over-stimulated culture).  But the second look is generally a willful look.  Once that seed is sown, you not only reap the corruption of your mind and the grieving of the Holy Spirit in your spiritual life (or worse, His forsaking you for a season), but you get more seeds, more desires, each being more powerful than the former.  You’ve probably heard of the slippery slope.  That is exactly what this is.  Once you start down the Dark Side, forever will it dominate your path.  Ok, maybe the Star Wars reference is a little hokey.

Fortunately, there’s the flip side of this.  If the seeds you sow are to the Spirit, not only are you going to reap everlasting life and heaven and, most importantly, God Himself, but God will put more desire for the things of God in your life.  If you have tasted the Lord, that He is gracious, then He will give you desire for the sincere milk of the Word.  You will still be required to cultivate this desire, to continue sowing and watering while also guarding against the sowing of the bad seed of sin (called mortification of the flesh in Bible language).  But the food really is better tasting, more filling and better for you in the long run.  Man, I’m hungry.

PS. I want to say congratulations to Erik, a man who has a heart for Jesus Christ.  Today, he will be installed as an elder in our church.  While I know that no man is qualified in and of himself, I can’t help but think that God has chosen the right man for this role.  We will continue to lift him up in prayer that he will yield himself to the Lord even more than he already does.  Vaya con Dios, Erik!