What am I sowing?

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked [He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside]; for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. For the one who sows to his flesh [his sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses] will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal Life. So then, while we [as individual believers] have the opportunity, let us do good to all people [not only being helpful, but also doing that which promotes their spiritual well-being], and especially [be a blessing] to those of the household of faith (born-again believers). Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in. - Galatians 6:7-10 (Amplified Bible)

And I command you today: Love God, your God. Walk in his ways. Keep his commandments, regulations, and rules so that you will live, really live, live exuberantly, blessed by God, your God, in the land you are about to enter and possess. But I warn you: If you have a change of heart, refuse to listen obediently, and willfully go off to serve and worship other gods, you will most certainly die. You won't last long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and Death, Blessing and Curse. Choose Life so that you and your children will live. And love God, your God, listening obediently to him, firmly embracing him. Oh yes, he is Life itself, a long life settled on the soil that God, your God, promised to give your ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. - Deuteronomy 30:16-20 (Message)

In this Life, every action we take is either sown to the Spirit or sown to the flesh. There are no "net neutral" actions, they are either sown to the Spirit or sown to the flesh. God's Word is very clear that each action is like a seed that is sown and reaps a harvest of either:
Eternal Life if sown to the Spirit or Death if sown to the flesh.

You choose the seeds you sow, but you do not choose the harvest you reap.

You choose your actions, but you do not choose the consequences.

What actions are sown to the flesh?

It is obvious what kind of Life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time:
repetitive, loveless, cheap sex;
a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage;
frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness;
trinket gods;
magic-show religion;
paranoid loneliness;
cutthroat competition;
all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants;
a brutal temper;
an impotence to love or be loved;
divided homes and divided lives;
small-minded and lopsided pursuits;
the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival;
uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions;
ugly parodies of community.
I could go on. This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom. Galatians 5:19-21 (Message)

What actions are sown to the Spirit?

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. - Galatians 5:22-25 (NLT)

But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error]. - 1 John 2:20 (Amplified Bible)

If you don't like the crop you are reaping, check the seed you are sowing. - John Maxwell

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So, we don't look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. - 2 Corinthians 4:7,16-18 (NLT)

Living for Jesus, a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;
My Life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone. - Thomas Chisholm

Be Encouraged to live for Jesus, sow to the Spirit, and reap Eternal Life.

-Jeffrey Thornton 



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