Sow to Please the Spirit

PRAYER PRACTICE

Spoken Prayer – Out loud, pray for God to speak to you through your reading. Praise God for giving us His word. Ask the Spirit to help you read with faith, and to live out what you hear from God through the passage.

DAILY READING

Galatians 6:1-10


REFLECTION

What Are You Planting?

by Pastor Jeff Morlock

 

As a teenager, I worked for farmers each summer, preferring harvest-related tasks like bailing hay or picking pickles to the early summer task of planting. Especially tomatoes. Sitting on a transplanter for 10 hours a day requires focus. Becoming distracted means failing to supply a young plant to one of the constantly rotating “arms” that seeks to grab it, resulting in an eventual bare spot in the field come harvest time. "You reap what you sow”, right? And spiritually speaking, we’re always sowing thoughts and deeds. When you sow to please the flesh (self-centered ways of being human) you’ll reap self-centered ways of being human . But if you sow to please the Spirit (God-centered, other-oriented ways of being human), you will reap the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and more.  

The books you read, the people you hang out with, the things you do for entertainment, and the thoughts that preoccupy your mind are all acts of sowing. Every time you nurse a grudge or objectify someone instead of recognizing God’s image in them, every time you wallow in self-pity or complain about the shortcomings of others, you sow to the flesh. And the results are the exact opposite of victory and blessing. Sowing to please the flesh hinders community. Its fruit of self-righteousness keeps us from forgiving one another’s sins. Its fruit of greed keeps us from being generous. Its fruit of pride keeps us from bearing one another’s burdens.

But lest we become discouraged, Paul says, ^“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Keep going. Keep sowing, Paul urges. Focus not on past failures, which are forgiven in God’s grace, but on sowing to please the Spirit today, giving thanks for the bumper crop to come!

Prayer: God our Father, lifter of heavy burdens, I know that I cannot by my own effort obey what this Scripture says. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to crucify the flesh with its selfish desires, and to sow in ways that will build up those around me and give you glory. In the name of your Son, Jesus, whose body was sown in death, but raised to give his people a harvest of eternal life. Amen.

 

Bear One Another's Burdens

 July 4, 2020

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

Click here to access the reading from Galatians 6:1-10

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REFLECTION

I Can Do It Myself!

by Mary McGinnis

In October of 2004, several women at my new church invited me to attend a women’s retreat, but I was hesitant to go. I had been through some difficult times in my marriage, and as result I had become exceptionally good at keeping people at a distance. I did not want to let people in, to allow them to see the dysfunctional mess I was in, especially those whom I attended church with every Sunday. But I finally decided to say YES to attending the retreat.

For 3 days I sat at a table with 7 other women. We would listen to talks from various women from the group. They shared their stories and taught us about the importance of daily turning our hearts toward God, studying God’s Word, and following His lead in putting our faith into action.

At the beginning of day 3, I was feeling awesome. I felt armed and ready to put many of these new ideas and insights into my life. I thought, “I can do this! I can make some changes and it will be all be great!” 

Then came the talk that changed everything. The woman speaking said these words, “An isolated Christian is a paralyzed Christian.”  

The words stung, piercing a tiny hole in the nicely fashioned cocoon I had wrapped myself in for YEARS. A well of tears came streaming down my face like water flowing through the crack of a dam.

Following the retreat, I was encouraged to connect myself with a small group, but again, I was hesitant. How could I possible allow people to see how messed up I was?  “Besides,” I thought, “I can do it myself.” With much persistent love from my church family, I soon I found myself in a small group. 

Little did I know that God was preparing me, putting people in place to help carry me.  In January of 2006, I discovered that my husband was having yet another affair. This time I filed for divorce.

I was so foolish to think that “I could do it myself!” The unweaving of a 25-year dysfunctional marriage was going to be like trying to carry a B2 Bomber all by myself. It was a burden I was not going to be able to bear alone.

My small group and extended church family saw me through the next few years of healing, finding a new job, deciding about when to start dating, the whole dating process, the 2 year agony of selling my house, and the celebration of my wedding day to my new amazing husband in May of 2009.

I am so incredibly grateful to my friends who never gave up on me, even when I wanted to keep pushing them away. I am so incredibly grateful to MY GOD who places people in my life to help me carry my burdens. With JOY, I now too want to use my life to help carry the overwhelming burdens others are facing in their lives. 

PRAYER PRACTICE – Intercession

Spend time bearing the burdens of others. Pray that God would be with them through whatever difficulties they face so that they can grow in faith in the midst of the trial.

Strong Back, Soft Heart

Read Galatians 6:1-10

I am a sucker for a good story that involves a hero or heroine. I love watching these fictional to true to life characters face challenges, overcome obstacles, fear, and enormous amounts of self-doubt. Something about these "super hero" stories resonates with me.  

As I was pondering this passage from Galatians, my mind reflected back to one of my favorite Netflix episodes I watched recently. The heroine of the story was on the brink of "breaking the curse" but she hesitated.

She had been a loner her whole life, abandon as a child, and had acquired a STRONG BACKBONE.  But now that the time had come for her to use that strength for the good of others, she held back!  She son told her, "You have to do this, everyone is depending on you!"  She responded, "I don't want them to depend on me.  I am afraid I will let them down." 

The heroine in this story, strong as she was, held back from softening her heart to let herself help carry the burden of those around her.  She had allowed life to hardened her heart against letting people TOO CLOSE.  But everything she had been through had led up to this point, and this was her calling!  She now needed to learn to use her strength, not to protect herself, but to allow her to soften her heart and LOVE. 

It is easy for me also to become "weary of doing good."  After all, people may hurt me, disappoint me, or worse yet, I might fail and disappoint them!

This promise breathes new life and purpose into my life, "do not grow weary of doing good, for in due season, we will reap, if we do not give up."  

Lord, help me to see that when I become weary, You are creating endurance and strength in me.  Help me use this strength to soften my heart and love as You have loved me!