At times the Scriptures come across as complex, with meanings deeper than my simple mind comprehends. But in other places its clarity strikes at me, like Paul’s hard edge on how we live in this world.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary of doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

No one fools the Lord. I may lack integrity in my finances, or develop private viewing habits appealing to my flesh, or act nice to my neighbors but despise them in my heart. I can do all that and appear as big-hearted as the next guy. But in doing so I’m attempting the impossible—I’m mocking the Lord and his ways.

On the other hand, I may quietly sow the work of the Holy Spirit in my life. If I ask for guidance, learn to listen, and follow his promptings, a fresh, vibrant life opens to me—a life eternal.

Sowing and reaping, I see it all around me. It’s the way God created the world to work. Don’t give up. Keep sowing to the good. Eventually the promised harvest bears fruit. Do not be deceived—life works no other way.

Galatians 6 in reading the Bible in 2023

Photo by Markus Spiske