Sowing, Reaping, and Restoration - Isaiah 3-4 and Galatians 6
God has certain principles and laws that always hold true. They are absolute truth. One of these laws is the law of sowing and reaping. That is an agricultural way of saying the law of cause and effect. In other words, what we do has consequences. If we do the right thing, we will get good results. If we do the wrong thing, we will get bad results. God makes sure of this, because He is righteous, and He promotes righteousness by making sure people know that attitudes and actions will have certain consequences. I think the analogy of sowing and reaping is good, because it shows the intentionality. When we sin, we decide to sin, and it takes effort to sin. Then, we decide to sin more, until finally, we reap the harvest of our sin, which is destruction. At the same time, we are intentional about being righteous. It takes effort, and we reap the results of righteousness. Don't think any of us are exempt from this law.
In Isaiah 3 and 4 we read about the nation of Israel reaping the harvest of their years of sin. They had decided to reject God and go after idols. They had tried to worship both God and false gods. They had become like the nations around them by their own choice. They sowed corruption, and now, God said it was time to harvest the crop. The results were disastrous. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The people were taken away. There was chaos for a time, until the people turned back to God. That is where the restoration comes in. Another characteristic of God is His mercy. He always gives a chance for restoration after a failed harvest. The key is that we must return to Him with all of our hearts. When the remnant of Israel did that, they were restored. Jerusalem was rebuilt, and they began to worship God in a worthy manner, again.
Galatians 5 is where we find the law of sowing and reaping stated. God wanted the Galatians and us to know that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. The flesh can't bring lasting spiritual fruit. However, if we sow to the Spirit, we will receive everlasting life. That is not just salvation from sin. It is a quality of life that comes from intentionally asking the Spirit to fill us and to lead us. The Galatians had been sowing to the flesh, so Paul was showing them this law. He was also telling them about restoration. God did not want to cast them off. He wanted the spiritual ones to help the others to come back to God and begin sowing to the Spirit. That is our responsibility. We must not glory in a person's destruction, but we must be willing to help anyone come to see God's will. Each of us needs to consider what we are sowing. We will see it by looking at the results in our lives. If we see sin and destruction, we are sowing to the flesh. If we see the fruit of the Spirit, we are sowing to the Spirit. If there is destruction, God wants us to be restored. Don't run from Him. Run into His merciful arms.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 5-6 and Ephesians 1.
In Isaiah 3 and 4 we read about the nation of Israel reaping the harvest of their years of sin. They had decided to reject God and go after idols. They had tried to worship both God and false gods. They had become like the nations around them by their own choice. They sowed corruption, and now, God said it was time to harvest the crop. The results were disastrous. The city of Jerusalem was destroyed. The people were taken away. There was chaos for a time, until the people turned back to God. That is where the restoration comes in. Another characteristic of God is His mercy. He always gives a chance for restoration after a failed harvest. The key is that we must return to Him with all of our hearts. When the remnant of Israel did that, they were restored. Jerusalem was rebuilt, and they began to worship God in a worthy manner, again.
Galatians 5 is where we find the law of sowing and reaping stated. God wanted the Galatians and us to know that if we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. The flesh can't bring lasting spiritual fruit. However, if we sow to the Spirit, we will receive everlasting life. That is not just salvation from sin. It is a quality of life that comes from intentionally asking the Spirit to fill us and to lead us. The Galatians had been sowing to the flesh, so Paul was showing them this law. He was also telling them about restoration. God did not want to cast them off. He wanted the spiritual ones to help the others to come back to God and begin sowing to the Spirit. That is our responsibility. We must not glory in a person's destruction, but we must be willing to help anyone come to see God's will. Each of us needs to consider what we are sowing. We will see it by looking at the results in our lives. If we see sin and destruction, we are sowing to the flesh. If we see the fruit of the Spirit, we are sowing to the Spirit. If there is destruction, God wants us to be restored. Don't run from Him. Run into His merciful arms.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Isaiah 5-6 and Ephesians 1.