Don't Kid Yourselves (You Reap What You Sow)

Galatians 6:1-10

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burden, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, les us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Don’t Kid Yourselves

There was once a very young little boy who had a very special place all his own. It was a very old fruit tree in the middle of his back yard. It had large, long branches, and plenty of leaves, but that old fruit tree hadn’t produced fruit in many years. High up in its branches, hidden from view by the leaves, there was a perfect spot for a little boy to sit & dream away the hours.

Up there he was a space ship commander traveling to galaxies unknown, he was Tarzan, living in a jungle world, he was a philosopher, solving the riddles of the ages. And it wasn’t just play time, he would go there when he felt mistreated, or misunderstood, or when he felt like being alone. Little boys feel that way sometimes. That tree was his hideaway, and it was very special to him.

So you can imagine how he felt when he heard his father telling his mother, "I think I’ll cut down that old fruit tree. It hasn’t borne any fruit in years."

What could the little boy do? If he begged his father not to do it, then he would have to say why, & his secret hideaway would be a secret no more. Then he hit upon a wonderful plan. Since there were a number of apple trees in a field nearby, he & his best friend got a whole basket full. That evening, while his parents were busy inside, he & his friend climbed the tree & tied the stems of the apples to almost every limb of the old fruit tree.

Well, the next morning his father went out & looked at the old tree, & was amazed to see that it was laden with big, fat apples. And the little boy was so anxious to see how his father would react. His father came back inside & said to the mother, "You’re not going to believe this, but a miracle took place last night. That old fruit tree is full of apples. There are fat, juicy apples on almost every branch."

His wife said, "That’s remarkable." "Yes," the father said, "& it is even more remarkable because that’s not an apple tree. It’s a pear tree."

We all know that apple trees don’t produce pears & pear trees don’t produce apples. When you sow apple seeds you expect apples. When you sow pear seeds you expect pears. When you sow corn you expect corn, because we learned a long, long time ago that what you sow is what you reap.

Listen to the familiar words of Galatians 6:7-9 again as Paul writes, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Now this principle that the apostle Paul shares with us in Gal. 6 has been around for a long time. In fact, Paul was not the first to say it. Jesus taught the same thing in one of His parables. You remember the parable about the farmer who went out & sowed good seed in his field? Then as he slept, an enemy came & sowed bad seed among the good.

No one knew about it until the two kinds of seeds started to grow. One day a servant discovered that there were tares growing among the wheat. He rushed in & told the master that wheat & tares were growing side by side.