Sowing By The Spirit
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Good morning, Lord
Verse of the Day: Galatians 6:8 ►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.
Memory verse: Psalm 90:14
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
Today's reading: JOB 11-13 ACTS 9:1-21
Sowing By The Spirit
My grandfather was a 'dry-land' farmer. This means he farmed without irrigation. This means he was a gambler-gambling on whether he would get enough rain to have a good harvest-or-he trusted God for the rain and the harvest. He was a man of faith in God through Christ Jesus. Over 40 years he farmed the same land-never owned any land-farmed on shares to the owner(the owner collected a share of the proceeds from the harvest each year.) He struggled to feed a family of five but never quit-always trusting God for the harvest.
He prepared the ground every year. He planted the best seed he could afford and fertilized when he could afford it. He cultivated to let the ground breathe and to weed-and then he waited and watched and prayed.
Galatians 6:8 ►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.
What does it mean to sow to the Spirit? It means knowing Him and making Him known-2 parts.
The first is working to expect God to grow us from within. It means we pray and study and meditate and memorize. But we must wait on the Spirit and listen. We must hang on every word and wait for every move of the Spirit in our lives. It means we seek God and learn to 'hallow' Him. It means we welcome and expect secret experiences with God.
The second part is obedience. We must move when God leads and, when we do, trust the Spirit to go before and behind us and sow the seeds of the Gospel in loving service and then trust God for the harvest-we wait on God.
Serving God in the Holy Spirit means no self gratification-no sowing to the flesh. Yes, we must sustain a living going by the rules of our government but we do it in the peace and love of God.
This is not a balancing act. This life is an act of constant obedience and Holy Spirit-consciousness. Seeking God before all else is sowing in the Spirit.
God's joy in the Spirit fills us and sustains us if we surrender our all and trust every heartbeat to Him. God is a joyous God and desires for His joy to completely fill us.
...because He loves us...
Father in Heaven,
Great, great, mighty God, fill me with Your Spirit as I listen, wait and obey. Give me what You want me to have as I sow. Forgive me my laziness. Teach me to grasp Your power.
Patient and good Father,
In the name of Christ Jesus,
Amen
