Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap.… God leaves us free to sow what sort of seed we will, and no one can blame the Almighty, that having chosen our own course, we reap our own harvests. The individual who indulges in one known sin is planting a seed, which will be sure to spring up, and grow, and, perhaps, prepare the way for a wider departure from duty. A second and third temptation, will prove more irresistible and dangerous than the first. Every careful farmer will look after his fences, lest his own cattle make their escape, or his neighbour's break in. "Set double guard upon that point to-night," was the command of a prudent officer, when an attack was expected. Our whole life is nothing but a seed-time, and the present and the future already stand facing each other. "Corruption" is the harvest of "sowing to the flesh," and "life everlasting," the harvest of "sowing to the Spirit." If we desire a fruit, in eternity, to please us, the seed must be sown which will bring it. A philosopher once said to his friend, "Which of the two would you rather be, Croesus, the wealthiest, but one of the worst men of his day; or Socrates, who was the poorest of the poor, but distinguished for many virtues?" The answer was, that he would rather be Croesus in this life, and Socrates in the next! A Christian woman was one day visiting an aged man, who, in years gone by, had been associated with her own father in business. Although differing widely in their opinions on various subjects, the two old men still felt a deep interest in each other. The good woman had answered a hundred questions, which her father's former partner had asked concerning him, and, as he listened to the story of his friend's patience in suffering and poverty, and the unflagging cheerfulness with which he could look forward, either to a longer continuance of his pilgrimage in this world, or to a speedy departure to a better one, his conscience applied the unuttered reproach, and he cried out, in a tone of hopeless despair, "Yes, yes: you wonder I cannot be as quiet and happy too: but think of the difference: he is going to his treasure, and I — I must leave mine!" Such is the condition of every possessor of worldly wealth, who sows only for the ingathering of a temporal harvest. (J. N. Norton, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.WEB: Don't be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. |
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