“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 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.” Galatians 6:7-8
Just as one cannot plant weeds and expect to grow wheat, so we cannot sow to the sinful longings of our flesh and expect to harvest anything but sin and death. God will not be mocked. If we live our lives giving in to the inclinations of our fallen nature, we will reap what we sow — spiritual corruption and eternal death. On the other hand, if we live our lives providing opportunities for the Holy Spirit to work in us through the reading and hearing of God’s Word, we will reap, of the Spirit, everlasting life!
Grant that I do not sow to the sinful longings of my flesh but to Your Spirit, O God, that You may produce in me true faith in the promises of Your Word and eternal life through faith in Christ Jesus, my Savior. In His name, I pray. Amen.
“Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.” Galatians 6:6
God commands those who are taught the Word of God to support those who faithfully teach it (cf. 1 Cor. 9:14). People will reap what they sow. If they fail to support those who teach them God’s Word and watch over their souls, their teachers will have to forsake their God-given work to labor for their own support, and their hearers will suffer.
Grant that I so love Your Word, O Lord, that I support those who faithfully teach it. Amen.
“ Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
Since Christ loved us and bore the burden and punishment of our sins so that we might trust in Him and be pardoned and forgiven, we ought also to do all in our power to bear the burdens of our fellow believers — to admonish and correct them when they go astray and to encourage them in the true and saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ so that they might continue in that faith unto life everlasting.
O dearest Jesus, grant that we encourage our fellow believers in the true faith that they might partake with us of the everlasting joys of heaven which You won for us. Amen.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Galatians 6:1
As penitent sinners, trusting in Christ and His cross for pardon and forgiveness, we are called upon to love our fellow believers and, when one of them is overtaken in some fault or sin, to rebuke and restore him to repentance and faith in Christ. Not to do so is not to love our fellow believers. When we must restore someone who has fallen into sin or error, we should do so in meekness and exercising caution, knowing that we, too, could be tempted and overcome.
Grant that I love my fellow believers, Lord, and seek their spiritual welfare. But also grant that I am not haughty or condescending and that I use great caution so that I do not fall into temptation. Amen.
“He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36
The Apostle John here summarizes the core message of the Bible: The one who places His faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God who was lifted up on the cross as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (cf. John 1:29; 3:14-18), is forgiven and has eternal life. The one who does not trust in Jesus Christ is not pardoned and forgiven and will not see eternal life; “the wrath of God abides on him”!
Dear Lord Jesus, grant that I trust in You and Your cross that I might be pardoned and forgiven and have eternal life and not remain under God’s wrath and condemnation for my sins. Amen.
