Like any other verse in the Bible, we cannot just read this verse and ignore the context of the entire book/chapter from which it comes from in our quest to fully understand the true meaning of this passage. Often times, we missed the entire point and expect God's blessings when we fail to understand what God is truly saying. God sets up Natural and Spiritual laws that provide blessings to those who obey His statutes and curse to those who chose to rebel. One of them is the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Gotquestions.org has a wonderful explanation that is worth sharing about this topic. It says, " Most of the Bible was originally written to those living in an agrarian society, people familiar with working the land, managing livestock, and raising crops. Many of Jesus’ parables involve the farming life. Not surprisingly, then, the Bible contains many references to sowing and reaping, and here are some of the principles we learn: Sowing and reaping is a law of the natural world. On the third day of creation, God commanded the earth to bring forth living plants “bearing seed” and fruit “with seed in it” (Genesis 1:12). These plants were then given to man for food (verse 29). Ever since the beginning, man has understood the process of sowing and reaping and has applied it to his benefit. God uses the law of sowing and reaping to bestow His blessing. God’s blessing comes generally to the whole world as He sends sun and rain to the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). In some cases His blessing comes more specially to those of His choosing, such as Isaac. Genesis 26:12 says that Isaac sowed a crop and received a hundredfold in one season because the Lord targeted him for blessing. God warned Israel that, if they forsook Him and pursued idols, the law of sowing and reaping would be suspended and their crops would fail (Leviticus 26:16b). This happened to disobedient Judah on a couple occasions (Jeremiah 12:13; Micah 6:15). Sowing and reaping is also a law of the spiritual world. It is more than just an agricultural principle. It is an axiom of life that we reap what we sow. Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” There are natural consequences to our actions. The world operates under the law of cause and effect. There is no way around it: every time we choose an action, we also choose the consequences of that action. We reap in kind to what we sow. Those who plant apple seeds should expect to harvest apples. Those who sow anger should expect to receive what anger naturally produces. Galatians 6:8 says, “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.” Living a life of carnality and sin and expecting to inherit heaven is akin to planting cockle burrs and waiting for roses. This principle works both positively and negatively. “The one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward” (Proverbs 11:18b), but “whoever sows injustice reaps calamity” (Proverbs 22:8a)."
Our highlighted verse at the very beginning of this post is one of those promises of God to those who would not compromise their faith in Christ for a sinful lifestyle through worldly practices/relationships. Quoting from my Life Application Bible, "Separation from the world involves more than keeping our distance from sinful practices. It means staying close to God. It involves more than avoiding entertainment that leads to sin; It extends into how we spend our time and money. There is no way to separate ourselves totally from all sinful influences. Nevertheless, we are to resist the sin around us, without either giving up or giving in. When you know what God wants you to do, make a clean break with sinful practices." For we are either blessed or corrupted by anyone/anything we associate ourselves with. As a child of the Most High God, we are to live the high calling that God called us as the redeemed of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we repented of our sin and surrendered ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, God equipped us with His supernatural power by the indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit to conquer the spiritual forces of darkness that tries to take us down daily. At no point does He leave us alone in our walk with Him. We are to listen, discern, pray and act in accordance to the will and purpose of the King we pledged allegiance to---Jesus Christ! This is only possible if we are adept with God's Word through committed study for understanding and correct application. Things that we have studied, proven and are sure about, we don't compromise! Though many fall daily into deception, sad to say that many of them profess to be "Christian leaders" from well-known mega churches, we don't follow the trend/culture of this world that caters to humanism and moral relativism and rejects the infallible, unchanging, eternal Word of God. When we truly adhere to the Truth of God and His Word, we would never escape persecution from the worldly people, ungodly system and evil agenda of our time. If you are loved by the world, you need to evaluate whether you are still in the faith. That's how serious we are to be in being the Salt and Light of this world (Matthew 5:13-16).
So, what kind of seed are you planting today? Are you sowing seeds of righteousness in Christ which yields an incorruptible harvest in the eternal or are you planting seeds of rebellion and earthly pleasures that is temporary and carries out a harvest of eternal damnation? Since I am a daughter of the Most High God, I will carry out my Father's Will (no matter what the cost) for an eternal life and joy in the presence of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Want to share the following verses to ponder on in Deuteronomy 30:15-20 which says, "See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."
For this Card, I used an image from C.C. Designs called "Allys" and watercolored it using my Kimberley Watercolor Pencils. The base is a Kraft CS, cut and scored to make a 5.5 inches square card. The DP's are from Paper Studio, the layered flowers from Prima and Recollections, the brad from Recollections and jute from my stash. I also added some glitters (Stickles-Crystal) and some regular and fancy stitching.
A FATHER UNTO YOU CARD
A FATHER UNTO YOU CARD LAYERS
A FATHER UNTO YOU CARD INSIDE
A FATHER UNTO YOU CARD WITH ENVELOPE-BOX
This Card is entered into the following Challenges:
A Perfect Time to Craft---ATG
Classic DT---ATG
Crafts Galore Encore---ATG
Craftyhazelnut's---Patterned Paper
Color Create Show It Off---ATG
Creative Craft Cottage---ATG
Digi Doodle---Special Day (Father's Day)
Happy Craft---ATG
Happy Little Stampers---Watercolor/Love
LeAnn's World---ATG
Let's Craft and Create---ATG/You're the Man
Love to Scrap---No Rulz
Morgan's Artworld---ATG
Papercraft---ATG
Sognando---A Time For You
Sweet Stampers---ATG
YSP---Welcome Summer
Make sure you join us at WAW Challenge. You can use the free Word Art in your creation and link it to our Challenge but is not a requirement. As long as it's family-friendly, uplifting and inspirational, you can enter up to 5 times this week. Great prizes to be won from our wonderful sponsor, The Project Bin ($15 GC). So excited to see what you come up with. Anyway, cheer up and let the peace of the Lord overtake you today. In Christ, we have a very bright and joyful future forever!
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