Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows, because the person who sows to his own flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8 NET
You reap what you sow. This is most obvious in an agricultural setting. When you plant corn, you will harvest corn rather than beans. But it is also generally true in life. You will generally do well when you apply yourself, work hard, and do good. But failing to do those things will typically result in a troubled life. You reap what you sow.
But Paul is not talking about sowing a field or life in general. Instead, he is talking to believers about how we live. Do I live to satisfy myself, sowing to my own flesh and reaping corruption? Or do I live to please God, sowing to the Spirit and reaping eternal life?
We are often guilty of trying to do both. We give a portion of our time, talents, and resources to the church. Then, we invest the rest in work, recreation, socializing, and other so-called secular activities.
We might be deceived into thinking that God is satisfied with just a tithe of our lives. But he is not. Galatians 5:16-26 describes two mutually exclusive ways of life. One is to live by the Spirit, while the other is to carry out the desires of the flesh (Gal 5:16). The two are opposed to each other. You cannot do both (Gal. 5:17).
This does not mean I need to spend my life as a preacher, evangelist, or missionary. But it does mean that as I go through my life, wherever I am and whatever I am doing, I am walking with the Spirit. And I listen to the Spirit’s voice and make pleasing him a priority over pleasing myself or other people. When I do, the Spirit will produce his fruit in me (Gal. 5:22-23). And the harvest at the end will be to eternal life.
