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Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
I am of the opinion that our lives must also be subjected to what Howard Thurman called Divine Scrutiny. In his seminal text, Jesus and the Disinherited he articulates that there “is no really significant living for a man, whatever may his status until he had turned and faced the Divine Scrutiny.” He further surmised that it is under the glare of Divine Scrutiny, under the shadow of Gods omniscience that we are “stripped to the literal substance of themselves, without disguise, without pretension, without seeming whatsoever. No man can fool God. From HIM nothing is hidden.”
It was under the glare and gaze of Divine Scrutiny that Adam and Eve tried to hide from the Lord after they had disobeyed his edict and command to not to eat of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.
It was under the glare and gaze of Divine Scrutiny that David was forced to admit in Psalm 51, “3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
It was under the glare and gaze of Divine Scrutiny that Paul declared in Romans 7, “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Likewise, I am of the opinion that we must also be willing to look critically at ourselves. And as critical as that reality is, it seems that one of the most difficult things for us is, to be honest with ourselves. It is to court trouble to suggest that perhaps the events and experiences we face are the results solely and squarely of the choices and decisions we make. Although we can make that assertion regarding the lives of others it is an entirely different proposition when it comes to our own lives. It is interesting to me that we are quick to blame everyone else for the issues we face in our lives when the truth of the matter is that we are where we are, dealing with what we are dealing with and facing what we are facing because of the choices and decisions we have made. And rather than take responsibility for our actions we seek to deflect the blame. People of God we must be honest with ourselves because I am absolutely convinced that the worst thing we can be is self-delusional.
Men we must understand that God would have us to examine ourselves. I believe we are in a season where God is looking for men who will stop deluding themselves and be honest about who and what they are. Understanding, we can’t change what we won’t honestly address. We must look beyond looking for a scapegoat. We must fight the urge to blame others. In short, we must take responsibility for our lives. If we are always denying the role we play then we delay our ability to make the necessary adjustments in our lives. And as we move toward spiritual maturity, we would have to admit that it is time that we take a serious look at our lives and honestly reflect on whether we as men are all we can be. Now is the time for men to be honest with themselves. It is time that we stop critiquing and criticizing others and take an honest look at ourselves.
It was Socrates who suggested that an unexamined life is not worth living. On the surface, this seems to just be the unsubstantiated claim of a bygone era. For it seems that we are living in an age where anything goes and everything is acceptable. We are living in a time where there are no moral absolutes and the lines of morality and ethics, right and wrong, decency and order have been blurred and in some instances moved.
Therefore, we must make it a practice to examine our motives and intentions. We must subject ourselves to the objective examination and scrutiny of self. Wherein we lay bare out words, actions and deeds to the scrutiny of our deepest self and the Divine.
This brings to mind the reminder of Paul writing to the church in Galatia “do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. 8For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
The churches in Galatia were full of former pagans who had readily received the gospel that Paul shared with them. However, now because of false prophets were attempting to undermine his work by suggesting that in order to be saved, the Galatians needed to follow the Mosaic law. These Conservative Jewish teachers known as Legalizers had come from Jerusalem and began to teach that Paul was wrong in his doctrine. They argued that the grace of GOD was not enough to save them and that they also needed to be circumcised. And the result of their false teaching was that people began to turn their back on the grace of the cross. But Paul understood that if their brand of religion took root, it would empty the cross and the crucifixion of its value. And so Paul writes this letter in part to remind the Galatians that GODs grace is sufficient. And that is still a relevant word for us in the 21st century, GODs grace is still sufficient. GODS grace is HIS uncontrollable, undeserved, unmerited favor of GOD. GODS grace is the manifestation of HIS goodness in our lives.
And in this context, Paul reminds the Galatians that they didn’t deserve it but because of GODS goodness, HE cancelled their debt, covered them in the blood of Jesus and granted them a new lease on life. But I also need us to understand that GODS grace is not only sufficient for our salvation but HIS grace is sufficient for our everyday lives. And the lesson is that GOD manifests HIS goodness in our lives every day. Everyday GOD shows us HIS goodness and favor in that HE blesses us with what we don’t deserve and HE keeps us from what we do deserve. Every day, GOD wakes us up. Every day, God gives us the strength to get up and go to work. Every day, GOD arranges circumstances in our lives, which remind us that HIS grace truly is sufficient. And that if we just trust in HIM, HE will direct our paths. If we trust HIM, HE will make a way out of no way that will blow our minds. If we trust HIM, HE will create scenarios and situations that will remind us that God wants the best for us.
Not only were they being led away from grace but they were also being led to believe that there were no consequences for their choices. And so in this 6th chapter, he writes “do not be deceived, God is not mocked”
The first truth he teaches us is that GOD is not mocked. The word for mocked means to turn your nose up at someone. The idea is that there were those in the Galatian church who thought they were making a mockery of GOD. They thought they could do what they wanted to do and there would be no consequences. The NLT says it this way, “you cannot mock the justice of God.” And Paul says GOD is not mocked and more importantly, stop letting people lead you astray and away from that truth. The Message Bible declares, Don’t be misled: No one can make a fool of GOD! And here is the truth, that even though we can fool others and even ourselves, there is One who sees all things, knows all things and is in control of all things. And whether we want to accept this truth or not, we will have to give an account to GOD.
The crux of Pauls argument is that there is a universal principle at work in our lives that we will reap what we sow. I once read the story of a man who had gotten himself into trouble and went to his pastor asked the pastor for prayer but rather than offering prayer the pastor shared our scripture for this morning, he said you “reap what you sow.” And I know we don’t like that sort of honesty but the truth of the matter is we will reap or harvest what we sow or plant. And Paul says, whether you believe it or not it is a reality that you will reap what you sow.
And Paul takes it further by saying, whatsoever we sow, which means this law applies to every sphere and area of our lives without exception. Did you hear what I said, this law applies to every area and facet of our lives. It applies to your finances as well as your relationships. It applies to your relationships as well as our work.
Let me make it plainer, don’t expect to retire with enough money to cover your living expenses if it is your practice to spend every dime you get. Don’t expect to have a relationship that grows in intimacy and emotional support, if time is not invested in that relationship. Don’t expect to grow in your spiritual walk with GOD, if we don’t sacrifice a few moments in our day to read scripture, pray and spend time with GOD.
In a natural sense, we would not expect to plant (sow) watermelon seeds and then harvest (reap) pumpkins. Right, we would not sow the seeds to cucumbers and months later go to our gardens expecting to find carrots. Likewise, in the spiritual sense, if we are sowing to our flesh rather than to our spirits then we will continue to see manifested in our lives the things of the flesh.
In fact, Paul uses the verb tense, which denotes not a single sowing. Rather, he paints the picture of a person who continually and habitually sows and as a result continually and habitually reaps. And so it was understood this way, if you sow, sow and keep on sowing. If you sow this sort of seed continually and habitually you will reap that harvest over and over again.
And perhaps that is why some of us keep seeing the same results in our lives because we are sowing the same seed and as a result are harvesting the same results. I said it last week maybe it is not the other person in the relationship but maybe it is us. Maybe it is not the folk on the job but maybe, just maybe it is us. Maybe it is not what everyone else is doing but maybe it is our actions that need to be brought under scrutiny. And as we grow in maturity, we can become honest enough with ourselves to recognize that we reap what we sow and if we don’t like what we are reaping, we must be courageous enough to make the necessary adjustments. Because the truth of the matter is if we sow love, we will reap love. If we sow patience, we will reap patience. If we sow kindness, guess what we will reap, we will reap kindness. If we sow forgiveness, we will reap forgiveness. Conversely, if we so bitterness, we will reap bitterness. If we sow hatred and strife, we will reap hatred and strife. If we so selfishness, we will reap selfishness. If we so discord, we will reap discord. And here is the truth of the matter, this ain’t the devil. This is the result of what we have been sowing.
Paul says to these believers and all of us to stop allowing people to lead you astray and away from the truth. Because the truth of the matter is that you are reaping what you have been sowing. What you plant is what will manifest itself in your life. And he says, if you keep sowing to your flesh, you should expect destruction but if you sow to the spirit then you should expect to reap eternal life.
This truth further reminds us that the examination of our lives and the outcomes are only the beginning of an examined life. If there is the desire for transformation then we must be willing to take action immediately and intentionally until our lives mirror and reflect our best selves. We must take immediate and intentional action until our lives mirror and reflect the life of Him, who gave HIS life for us. We must be willing to make some changes. We must be willing to pray more, study more, worship more, serve more, love more. We must be willing to adjust our attitudes so that they mirror the mind that was in Christ Jesus. We must be willing to look at the man in the mirror and be honest with ourselves that what I am experiencing is the result of what I have or have not been doing.
And while it is important for us to know that we will reap what we sow. It is equally important to know that although we will have moments where we miss the mark. While there are moments when we fall short of the glory of GOD. While there are moments when and where we have not done what God has commanded us to be. The GOD we serve is still faithful. And so I am encouraged by what Paul declared in Romans 8, that nothing can separate us from the love of GOD, which is ours through Christ Jesus. I am encouraged by the promise despite our shortcomings that GOD will not always keep HIS anger or chide us forever. I am encouraged by the promise that if I just confess my sins, GOD is faithful and just to forgive. Did you hear what I said, GOD is faithful. And here is the point, there may be times when it seems that what we are reaping is not consistent with what we are sowing. We have sown blessings but seem to be reaping burdens. We have sown mercy but seem to be reaping a mess. We have sown love but seem to be reaping hatred. But here is the blessing. It’s in verse 9, Paul declares that if we don’t grow weary in well doing, we will reap a harvest.
This reminds me that our GOD is faithful and HE will bring it to pass. It reminds me that if GOD before us, who can stand against us. It reminds us that with God all things are possible. It reminds us that God is able. And If we don’t lose hope we will see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living. If we keep sowing to the spirit, we may get tired at times but they that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. If we keep sowing to the Spirit and lean not to our own understanding our GOD will direct our path.
Paul D. Flowers, Sr. 