7 Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 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.9 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.
-Galatians 6:7-9 (NLT)
Do you ever get tired of doing things? Do you ever get tired standing up for what is right? Sure, we all have. In Galatians 6:7-9, we read some inspiring Scripture that will help keep us motivated to do what is right.
Verse 7 says, "Don't be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant." Paul is teaching us a valuable lesson here. We will always harvest what we plant. What he is meaning here is this: If you plant a tomato plant, you will harvest tomatoes. You will not harvest a pepper from a tomato plan. You will not harvest an ear of corn from a tomato plant. You can only harvest a tomato from a tomato plant. If you plant sinful, selfish desires into your life, that is what you will become. This is the basic principle behind the words, "Don't be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God." To believe that I can plant one thing and harvest another is to mock God. To say that I can plant the sinful selfish desires in my life, and the harvest will be the pure, holy life that God desires-that is mocking God. Why is that? Look to verse 8.
"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." We see two examples here, both starkly different, and both cannot be combined. If we live only to satisfy ourselves, our sin nature, we will harvest death from that sinful nature. If I live only to satisfy myself, looking at my own wants, needs and desires, that is what I will harvest, a self centered life. A life apart from God, a life that isn't producing the harvest God wants. But the flip side to that example is that if I live to please God, the harvest will be eternal life. If I live my life by doing what God has called me to do, by walking on the path that He has revealed, by giving my life to Jesus Christ, I will harvest eternal life. If I live to please God, I will not harvest things that will satisfy the sinful nature. If I live for the sinful nature, I will not harvest the things that please the Spirit. You have a choice to make. You cannot remain neutral. Are you going to live for the Spirit, or live for the self?
Verse 9 says, "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." Paul is motivating us to live to please the Spirit. He says, "So let's not get tired of doing what is good." Sometimes we don't see the harvest as soon as we want to. But don't give up. Sometimes it may seem like God is not there to help us in our walk in the paths He has revealed. But don't give up. Paul says we should not get tired when doing what God has called us to do. What happens when we do? Then we must stand firm in our faith. We must seek Him, God will not abandon His harvest. What has been planted in you will one day be harvested, whether it is the things of the sinful nature or the things of the Spirit.
Paul writes in Philippians 1:6, "And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns." If you are planting the seeds of the Spirit into your life, then the work that God began will be completed. He will not abandon the work. God will continue His work of molding you into the person He wants you to be. We shouldn't give up doing what is good. The rest of Galatians 6:9 says, "At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up." We will reap the harvest of blessing. Sometimes the harvest is reaped quickly, sometimes it is not. But we must not give up. At just the right time, we will reap the harvest of the good things planted in us. The choice is yours. Are you going to continue following and planting the sin nature, living for yourself. The harvest for that choice is death and decay. Or, are you ready to follow the Spirit, planting the things of God, and harvesting eternal life? The choice is yours. You can not ride the fence. There is no middle ground. Think about it.
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