Galatians 6:7-8 (NLT)
An interesting fact I learned a short while ago is that most places in the Bible when you see the word justice, you can replace it with righteousness, and vice versa. Out of four translations I looked at, this is the only one that uses the word justice. The others just say "You cannot mock God" or something similar. Either way, you get the understanding that although many people DO mock God, it is a pointless effort. After all, how can the creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it be mocked? He can't. And when you add in that His justice (or righteousness) cannot be mocked, you realize that what this part of scripture is saying is that no matter what you think, say, or do, this is a truth put in place by our good, good Father, who always keeps His Word.
We see the example of this all around us, in our relationships, our family, our work. You get way more out of something when you put a lot into it. When you plant pumpkin seeds, you don't get green beans.
I have three daughters, and this year we decided to plant some vegetables. We did some in pots, and we put some directly into the ground. We started all but a few from seed, because I like the experience of seeing those new sprouts coming out of the earth, so miraculously. So far, we have gotten exactly what we have planted. We have spinach and carrots, potatoes, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, and herbs. However, they have not all grown as well as I would have liked. The ones we put in pots have done the best. The plants we put in the ground however have had a hard time growing. We had a lot of weeds to begin with, which I tried to take out but they have returned, and the ground is so dense and hard that the roots can't go very far very fast. The plants are growing, but not nearly as well as the ones in the pots. This makes me think of our lives. Maybe we are planting good seeds, maybe we are seeing plants growing, but the weeds and hard soil are preventing us and the people around us from growing as fast and healthy as we should be. Maybe our weeds are too many events on our calendars or our smart phones, or unhealthy relationships. Maybe our hard soil is our hearts that we haven't fully submitted to God, or an area of our life that we have hardened to God or other people. These distractions can keep us from growing in our faith as quickly as God would want us to grow. Matthew 13:4-9 addresses this in the parable of the sower, how we can allow these obstacles to steal our reward in Heaven. Remember in Matthew 14 when Peter saw Jesus in the storm and he gets out of the boat and walks on water? But then he realizes the storm around him and begins to sink. It's this imagery that we should remember when we feel like we are not close to God. How do we get back to Him? Seek Jesus. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you will not sink. If your eyes are on Jesus, your roots will grow deep into Him (Colossians 2:6-7 - our PWOC verse from this year), you will not notice the hard ground into which you were planted, the weeds that try to crowd you out, or the storm that rages around you.
So back to the original question. What are you planting? Are you planting life or death? Have you planted more weeds than good, nourishing plants? Do you have a lush, fruitful garden in your life or are there areas that feel dry and wilted? Pray about these things. Pray about your priorities. Have you taken your eyes off Jesus and started sinking, and then find yourself watering the weeds in an effort to soothe your soul? The answer might just be to find Jesus again (See Matthew 7:7-8) and start watering the right plants.
We don't have to do the growing. God does that for us. We are called to plant, trust God, and rejoice in the harvest. (See Mark 4:26-29) Through faith, put good Godly work into the right areas of your life and you will surely reap a harvest you never imagined possible.
Father in Heaven,
Please turn our eyes from looking at worthless things as your word says in Psalm 119:37. Help us to remember to look at your face when we are sinking. Keep us focused on you so we can continue planting good things. We may have been planted in rocky soil or maybe our soil was fertile from the beginning, but either way, sometimes we find ourselves planting weeds and watering the wrong plants. Our victory is in your son Jesus, who has overcome all of the obstacles that keep us from growing closer to you. We ask that you search our hearts and help us to stop planting that which is not of you, and start focusing on what you would have us plant. We thank you for the harvest that we will see through our obedience. We love you and trust you, and we give our lives up for you.
In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
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