Don't give up

Galatians 6:7-9 (NKJV)

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And llet us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [1]

Hidden in these 3 scriptures are 3 laws that if we hold on to, will strengthen up when we want to give up.

The law of Identity

We reap in kind what we sow

vs 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

 Weather the deed are good or bad, this  principle of sowing and reaping is illustrated throughout the Bible

In Genesis 27 Jacob killed an animal and lied to his father, pretending to be Esau 

Years later in Genesis 37 Jacob’s sons killed an animal and lied to him and  pretending that Joseph was dead

In Exodus chapter 1 Pharaoh gave orders to drown the Jewish baby boys

Later in Exodus chapter 14 and 15 Pharaoh’s  army was drowned in the Red Sea

In Acts chapter 8 Saul of Tarsus encouraged the stoning of Stephen  

Later in chapter Acts 14  Saul became Paul the missionary and was stoned at Lystra

Do not be deceived, lead away from the truth, or lose focus

God is not mocked. God is not ignored. 

“Whatever” a man sows that will he also reap

The Webster online dictionary defines whatever as

anything or everything

no matter what

in any case 

whatever the case may be

We Can’t

(1) Sow bad habits and reap a good character.

(2) Sow wicked thoughts and reap a clean life.

(3) Sow wrong deeds and live righteously.

(4) Sow dishonesty and reap integrity.

(5) Sow profane words and reap clean speech.

On the other hand Those who are friendly will have friends

Those who give will be given to

Those who show love will have love returned back to you

In Luke 6:36 Jesus puts it this way

Judge not and you shall not be judge

Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned

Forgive and you will be forgiven

Give and it will be given to you

Whatever you sow, that will you reap

vs 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

Verse 8 shows the direct correlation between what is done in this life and what we reap in eternity

According to Paul, we have but two choices. 

We can either sow “to the Spirit” or we can sow “to the flesh.”

Sowing to the Spirit is investing our resources in things which are spiritual and thus eternal

This investment is achieved through the Spirit of God, not through the flesh and the reward which is reaped is eternal life

Sowing to the spirit is sowing into the things of God.  God’s Kingdom and His agenda.  Seeking first the Kingdom of God and all of His righteousness. 

One of our main objectives in prayer is to join with God in His purpose.

When we sow into God’s Kingdom we are given keys to His Kingdom. 

Keys to bind or loose anything on earth through prayer with the full backing of heaven throne behind us. 

The next law is 

The law of “Interval”

We reap later what we sow today

Sowing and reaping are separated by time.

Sowing is the beginning of the process, while reaping is the culmination of it.

A farmer does everything in the light of what he hopes the outcome to be

ILLUS: George Mueller prayed for a neighbor for 45 years, witnessed to a neighbor for 45 years. Do you know when this man was saved? At the funeral of George Mueller. DON’T give up, don’t quit!

Take note, no good deed done for the glory of Jesus Christ will ever be forgotten by God.

No loving word spoken in Jesus’ name will ever be wasted.

If we don’t see the harvest today, though it tarry, wait for it.

ILLUS: Chinese Bamboo tree. Chinese plant the seed. Water it and fertilize it for an entire year. Nothing happens. Water it and fertilize it for 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th. Nothing happens.  Then in the fifth year, within 6 weeks…the bamboo tree grows from a seed to a tree over ninety feet tall. The work of God is just like that so never give up.

In Mark 4:26-29 Jesus explains the process this way

“God’s kingdom is like seed thrown on a field by a man who then goes to bed and forgets about it. The seed sprouts and grows—he has no idea how it happens. The earth does it all without his help: first a green stem of grass, then a bud, then the ripened grain. When the grain is fully formed, he reaps—harvest time!

If we do something good today, make good choices, or practice great habits today, we will reap our reward at some point in the future.

Many of us expect to be rewarded today. This is not how this law works.

The last law is the most exciting to me….

The law of “Increase”

We reap more than what we sow

9 …for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [2]

An example of this is shown in Luke 8:8 where Jesus states

8 But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

As farmers plant seeds of corn and expect to get thousands in return,

We can also expect to sow one small seed of goodness and in due season reap thousands of times the harvest.

Luke 6:38 says

38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your abosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

And in my closing I quote 1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing othat your labor is not in vain in the Lord.[3]

Be prepared to wait for your harvest. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose hearts (Galatians 6:9).

Like the preacher once said, I’m not giving up. I’m going to punch the devil as long as I can make a fist, If I lose my arms, I will kick the devil as long as I have legs, If I lose my legs I will bite the devil and when I lose my teeth I will gum him until Jesus Comes.

Don’t give up.  Never quit. If God said it that settles it. 

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j [Rom. 2:6]

k [Rom. 6:8]

l 1 Cor. 15:58; 2 Cor. 4:1; 2 Thess. 3:13

m [Matt. 24:13]; Heb. 12:3, 5; [James 5:7, 8]

[1] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville

j [Rom. 2:6]

k [Rom. 6:8]

m [Matt. 24:13]; Heb. 12:3, 5; [James 5:7, 8]

[2] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville

5 Lit. fruit

d Matt. 11:15; Mark 7:16; Luke 14:35; Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22; 13:9

z [Prov. 19:17; 28:27]

a Ps. 79:12; Is. 65:6, 7; Jer. 32:18

b Matt. 7:2; Mark 4:24; James 2:13

o [1 Cor. 3:8]

[3]The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville