20th February, 2011
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever 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, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." - Galatians 6:7-10
Sometimes I find it strange that people can use cliché sayings like "you reap what you sow" without ever wondering where the term came from. What I find even more strange is that more people will use the term but refuse to believe in the Bible. If you can use the instructions given from God, then why do you deny that He is there?
Anyway, that's not what I wanted to say in this post. The verse which stuck out to me this morning was "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." It corresponds with one of the fruits of the Spirit - patience. I have to admit that I'm not a patient person. I will give up easily if I don't see things working out quickly, which means I lose the opportunity to see what could have been if I had persevered. I will also lose focus or confidence if I find something difficult.
As Christians, we are supposed to live a life where we can reflect Jesus's love for everybody else and also tell other people about God. But being a Christian is difficult. People will make fun of you, others will openly state their dislike and opinions of Christianity - all of whom are friends and family, which makes it worse. I guess it isn't so much patience which is a problem when it comes to Christianity, but it's my proneness to giving up and becoming 'weary' all too quickly. When so many people are against my faith, I start to cower and become afraid to speak out because I don't think I can win them over.
I was reading a book last week where a character in a story said: "Well if you look at it from the perspective of the Bible, then there's a devil - Satan - who's fighting God. Naturally, if the devil wants to destroy the truth, he has to discredit anyone who speaks it. So if Jesus spoke the truth to people, then the first thing the devil has to do is make Jesus look ridiculous and deceiving. And that's precisely what we see in the world." When I read that, I realised just how true it was. But strangely enough, it didn't make me scared. In fact it made me want to go out there and not give up in doing good to other people, to show them God's love. Because I realised it wasn't just me against them anymore. It's me and God against Satan. Who will win? God, of course.
As Christians, we are supposed to live a life where we can reflect Jesus's love for everybody else and also tell other people about God. But being a Christian is difficult. People will make fun of you, others will openly state their dislike and opinions of Christianity - all of whom are friends and family, which makes it worse. I guess it isn't so much patience which is a problem when it comes to Christianity, but it's my proneness to giving up and becoming 'weary' all too quickly. When so many people are against my faith, I start to cower and become afraid to speak out because I don't think I can win them over.
I was reading a book last week where a character in a story said: "Well if you look at it from the perspective of the Bible, then there's a devil - Satan - who's fighting God. Naturally, if the devil wants to destroy the truth, he has to discredit anyone who speaks it. So if Jesus spoke the truth to people, then the first thing the devil has to do is make Jesus look ridiculous and deceiving. And that's precisely what we see in the world." When I read that, I realised just how true it was. But strangely enough, it didn't make me scared. In fact it made me want to go out there and not give up in doing good to other people, to show them God's love. Because I realised it wasn't just me against them anymore. It's me and God against Satan. Who will win? God, of course.
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