Sowing to the Spirit
Galatians 6: 8
For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.
This verse makes our choice pretty plain. We have only to decide what we want and then pursue it. The question we need to answer is, “What does it mean to sow to the flesh and to sow to the Spirit?”
There are many ways we can sow to the flesh and not all of them are bad. For example, if you are sowing towards someone else’s fleshly needs then you are really sowing spiritual seeds and will reap bountifully from the Spirit of God. It is the sowing towards our own gratification that gets us into trouble. When we ignore the needs of others and obsess on all of the things that we want we reap corruption. God wants you to have everything that you need and want but He wants to be the source of those things. We are supposed to sow towards the kingdom and allow Him to take care of our earthly needs. It is when we have our eyes on ourselves and are doing God’s job instead of ours that we really run afoul of His will.
The obvious ways that we sow to the Spirit are studying God’s Word and prayer. Through those two practices we develop our ability to be led by the Spirit of God. Once you are comfortable following God’s leading you find that He leads you into sowing all kinds of spiritual seeds. Giving to God’s works, helping a stranger or praying for others are all ways that you sow seeds into God’s kingdom. As you continue to follow Him, He will show you many ways that you can bless other people and through that you are storing up treasure that will rain down on you. As we spend time being quiet before the Lord He teaches us ways to sow to the Spirit and when we do sow to the Spirit, God’s kids are blessed and we reap eternal life.
As you go through today observe where life leads you. Are you encountering increasing ways to sow spiritual seeds or is almost every action in your life designed to further your interests, needs or wants? Are there additional ways that you can sow to the Spirit? The more you journey with the Holy Spirit the more you will learn His ways. He loves to bless you but you may find that the greater fun is blessing Him and you can, you know. Every time you set your eyes and will on Kingdom goals, every time you go out of your way to bless God’s children you bless the Spirit of God and I don’t think you will ever find anything more gratifying than blessing the Holy Spirit. So ask the Holy Spirit in your prayers today how you can sow more into Him. I am sure that He will give you some opportunities.
