Mission Venture Ministries

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith (Galatians 6:7-10). 

Paul is giving the Galatians and us some wonderful advice, since he was a man that knew and understood all about trials, tribulations, persecutions, and sufferings even when he was serving, evangelizing, healing, teaching, and loving God’s people. He didn’t give up on doing good because he knew that the eternal reward would be worth it for all the things he had to suffer in this life. 

He modeled Christ “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1), who was perfect. Jesus didn’t deserve any of the things that He suffered for; however, He loves us so much that He did, so that we could live in eternity with Him. He also wants to reward us based on how we use our gifts for good (Matthew 25:14-30). 

The Bible tells us that, “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12). 

We have great examples of those who went before us that suffered for Christ’s sake. They didn’t give up, and they held to the faith that all things will work out for good for those that love God (Romans 8:23). Therefore, we should not give up in doing good deeds, since our main goal is to please our heavenly Father and to one day hear these awesome words, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!” (Matthew 25:23). 

We need to realize that what we are today is the result of what we have been thinking and how we have been acting. Those who act wisely and obey the word of God will continue to have wisdom to make prudent and wise decisions. Those who spend everything they have giving no attention to the consequences of their decisions will have little or nothing to show for in the future. 

The Lord gives principles in Scripture to serve as warnings and as encouragement. His Word states, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). This is the law of life. 

The fact that we reap what we sow is good news for those who sow good habits, but a frightening thought for those currently are involved in ungodly activities such as promiscuity, drug and alcohol abuse, living off of others or climbing the ladder of success while mistreatment others and neglecting their family for the gain of riches. We cannot sow disobedience to God and expect to reap His blessing, therefore let us not deceive ourselves since in due time we will reap the harvest of what we have sown. 

The Bible also says for us to remember that: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:6-7). 

This can work either positively or negatively in your life. If you’re planting seeds of kindness, people will be kind to you. If you forgive others, they will be forgiving of you. If you’re generous, people will show generosity to you. But if you are angry all the time, people will respond in anger since the law of reproduction says that you reap what you sow and the principle of multiplication says that you also always reap more than you sow. 

Therefore, instead of acting unwise it is best to respond in a Christ like manner, meaning to be kind. We choose to bless them and pray for them as Jesus told us: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). Why? Because that’s what we want to receive! 

When you put one kernel of corn in the ground, you don’t get one kernel of corn back. You get a cornstalk with multiple ears on it and hundreds of kernels on each of those ears. This is the exponential power that God has established in the universe. You always get more out of it than you put into it. 

Proverbs 11:24 says, “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.” 

In the Old Testament God said to Moses, “I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). 

Life is full of choices and Proverbs tells us to, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:26-27).  We need to think about our choices and what the consequences of them are at all times since they can lead to damnation, or to eternal life. 

When we read Genesis 25:29-34 we see another consequence of giving little thought to what God’s principles teach us. Esau returned from hunting and requested some of the stew his brother made. Seizing upon the opportunity, Jacob agreed in exchange for his twin’s birthright. 

In Old Testament times, the firstborn enjoyed special privileges, which included authority over younger siblings, a double share of the inheritance, and being the spiritual leader of the family. Yet Esau, deciding that food was more of a necessity, traded his birthright for dinner. He later grieved when he realized what was lost, but at that point, it was too late. 

Like Esau, we all face critical choices. And though God forgives, the consequences remain. So we must learn how to choose wisely. First, to be able to determine our best options, we should wait until we’re physically, emotionally, and spiritually stable. Second, it’s often important to delay gratification. Though our human desires feel overwhelming at times, we should prayerfully wait for God’s timing asking for wisdom and discernment so that we can make godly decisions during critical moments and at all times. 

If we don’t rely on God, our sin nature takes hold of our decisions and become the driving force in our life. So unless we guard our heart (Proverbs 4:23), we can easily be lured to pursue things with no lasting worth. 

The other danger is to fail to consider the consequences. Eve didn’t consider what might happen if she ate the forbidden fruit; she only focused on the short-term benefit (Genesis 3:1-19). Nor did Samson think about repercussions from interactions with Delilah (Judges 16:16-23). 

Just these few examples show us how easy it is to make a rash decision because the immediate return seems good while the Lord’s wisdom is not being pondered on. 

The Lord wants us to pause and pray about the possible outcomes of our actions and decisions since we have the proverbial saying that haste makes waste as Proverbs 19:2 tells us, “Desire without knowledge is not good—how much more will hasty feet miss the way!” 

So whatever decisions are you facing, prayerfully consider what is driving you, and before making any choices, think about the potential outcome of your actions. 

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