There is a short couple of verses in the Bible, tucked into the book of Galatians, that are scary. Why are they scary? They are scary because, as we look at the country and culture we are living in, the principle of these verses is becoming a frightening reality. Here is what the Bible says:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For 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. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:7-9, ESV).
Do you see the warning as you read this? Everything we do has consequences–good or bad.
Every choice we make as an individual, a company, a husband or wife, father or mother, friend, co-worker, boss, nation, matters. What we do every day makes a difference. We will give an account and we will answer for what we do, the good and the bad.
The nation of Israel was experiencing this first hand. The prophet Isaiah was prophesying and here is what he communicated from God in Isaiah 10:24-25:
“Therefore thus says the LORD God of hosts: ‘O my people, who dwell in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrians when they strike with the rod and lift up their staff against you as the Egyptians did. For in a very little while my fury will come to an end, and my anger will be directed to their destruction.”
The reason God’s fury and anger was going on against them is because of what they did. Israel disobeyed God and began worshipping and serving created things rather than their Creator. Their actions had consequences (i.e. they were reaping what they had sown).
It is not popular to be a Christian in America today. Maybe I should re-phrase this– It is not popular to be a Bible-believing, Christ-following, God-glorifying Christian. But following Christ never had as its purpose being popular. Followers of Christ in the Bible never desired popularity or fame or acceptance. They followed Jesus no matter what popular opinion or societal issues there were.
We live in a world where we will increasingly be persecuted for being Christ-followers. We live in a world that doesn’t understand what a Christ-follower actually is, what they actually do, and what they actually look like.
As Christ-followers, disciples and disciple-makers, we have a lot of work to do. But the place that we must begin is in personally experiencing the power of redemption and being born again through faith in Jesus Christ. We must strive to live holy and righteous lives (Psalm 119:9, 11; 1 Timothy 6:11-12; 1 Peter 1:14-16, and many other verses).
What you do matters because you will reap whatever you sow. Guaranteed.
Faith Lived Out 