Galatians 6:7-10 (NLT)
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.
Over the past couple of days, we’ve talked about the scars we carry with us on a daily basis. We’ve also talked about how God has made a way for us to overcome these things. The choice he gives us to live for ourselves or to live to please the Spirit. We’ve talked briefly about some of the tough things Jesus said and the cost of giving our lives wholly to him. We concluded yesterday’s devotion with this statement:
Paul knew that though the cost in this life would be great, the reward in the life to come would be greater.
Throughout his ministry on earth, Paul was a great encouragement to the many people he discipled and to the many church bodies that he planted. He knew what these young believers would be up against and took every opportunity to urge them to press on no matter what. What God knew as he inspired Paul to write these words is that we would need the same encouragement that they did.
This is one of the many reasons the Bible has been on the best-seller list for thousands of years. It is timeless and alive and it speaks to us now just as it did to believers hundreds of years ago. Following Christ has always been a challenge. The road has always been and will always be very narrow. God calls us to be radically different. Not so we can be popular, comfortable, or healthy but that our lives would always glorify and point people to him.
So as we are faced with the many smaller choices that are a part of our daily lives, let us remember that they are all part of a greater choice that we must make when we get out of bed in the morning:
On this day, will I live for myself or will I live for Christ?
Let’s not get tired of living for Christ.
