January 13

REAPING HIS SPIRIT-LIFE
by Ray Prinzing

"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).

Man has taken this truth as a basis for his own carnal thought, life is what you make it, for you reap what you sow." That is only a half-truth.  It is the Word that "as a man soweth, that shall He also reap," but there is another truth involved, it is dealing more specifically with "which realm are we sowing into," giving emphasis to the fact that you do not sow into the flesh, and out of the flesh reap spiritual life.  Ever seed bears after its own kind.

Natural man takes and makes it an iron-clad rule that leaves out the sovereignty of God, and the grace of God.  How often have we even sowed into the flesh, and yet never reaped.  Sowed an angry word, but only received a soft answer in return, because of the love and kindness of the one with whom we were angry.  When God does allow the seed sown to bear fruit, He has many ways of nullifying the reaping.  If He sends a flood, the seed is washed away.  If He sends a drought, it doesn't germinate and grow.  If even the birds come and devour the seed, no harvest, etc.  But only what He purposes to ultimately use does He allow to happen, so if it happens, hard as it may seem to bear, somewhere down the road He purposes to cause it all to work together into our good, and for His praise.  Thus the Psalmist declared, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain."  (Psalms 76:10).

But the challenge is, the more we sow into the Spirit, the more we shall out of the Spirit reap life, joy, peace.  The natural, however sweet it might appear for a time, never fully satisfies, but IN HIM there are pleasures even more - enduring for all time.