What goes around . . .

What goes around . . .

Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends. – Proverbs 17:9

Galatians 6:7-10

 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.
 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
 9 Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
 10 So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

Down through the millennia, people have observed and discovered universal laws that explain and govern “how things work.” The universal Law of Cause and Effect was considered by Ralph Waldo Emerson to be the “law of laws.” The Law of Cause and Effect states that for every effect there is a definite cause, likewise for every cause, there is a definite effect.

Putting it in other terms, our thoughts, behaviors, and actions have produced life as we know it. When we change our actions, results change as well.

We always have a choice in how we respond to the vicissitudes of life. Our reactions to situations can either be foolish or wise. Wise choices are beneficial. But foolish ones can have calamitous consequences.

All we think and do has consequences. The ramifications are like ripples on a pond. They spread out and affect not only us but others as well. Regrettably, we often tend to think otherwise, but we are mistaken. Every farmer knows this. They prepare the soil and plant seeds in the hope that the harvest will yield a great deal more than what was planted. When a single seed germinates and sprouts it can generate hundreds of seeds.

Those of us that have been raised in cities are often unaware of the fact of what all farmer knows: “You reap what you sow, more than you sow, and later than you sow” (Stanley). Putting it in more contemporary terms “what goes around, comes around.”

What is true in the natural world is also true in our relationship with the Father. To think otherwise is it best wishful thinking, at worst delusion. Paul warns, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

What does it mean to mock? In English to mock means to treat with contempt or ridicule. The Greek word translated as mock is mukterizo. Mukterizo is used only once in the New Testament (Galatians 6:7). Mukterizo comes from the Greek noun from mukter – nose or nostril.

Mukterizo could be translated, to turn the nose in scorn or sneer at. Thus it has the sense to mock, deride, cheat, outwit, or despise. The sense of the whole statement is captured in the TEV – “no one makes a fool of God!” The JB translates it “don’t delude yourself into thinking God can be cheated.”

Yet how many people think that they can get away with ignoring the Father and His immutable principles? Somehow, they believe that they can fool the Father, deceive Him without adverse consequences. Perhaps, they do not believe that He exists or that if He does, possibly He is not looking or paying attention. Really? Pause for a moment and consider.

Proverbs 17:12 It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.

If she bears who have lost their cubs are ferocious, how safe would it be to mock the living God?

REFLECT & PRAY

Where we are today is pretty much the result of decisions that we have made. Bad decisions have bad consequences. But good decisions have good consequences.
 
Father enable me to him and learn and develop a pattern of making good decisions. Please help me.

INSIGHT

“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got” (Henry Ford)

Sadly, it is our natural tendency, because of our fallen nature, to make bad decisions and do bad things.

“Today is the father of tomorrow. What we are today is the result of what we have been thinking and the way we have lived in the past” (Stanley).

“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional” (John Maxwell).

To change takes awareness and desire, then commitment, courage, and effort. But the good news is that when we choose to do what is good and sow to the spirit we are on the positive side of the equation. Paul reminds us that our actions always have consequences either for good or for bad.

The three rules to keep in mind.

1. The Father established the principle of sowing and reaping. Indeed, “what goes around comes around” is a law that the Father established.

2. The law of the harvest is a two-sided coin. It works for good and bad.

3. Because the law of the harvest is a principle that the Father set up; it just happens. You do not have to strive to make it happen.

The law of the harvest is in effect but the results are not instantaneous. The consequences of our good decisions and actions are not necessarily immediately apparent.

Further, if we been sowing to the flesh, we may have a rather large crop of corruption to harvest and destroy.

Relationships are often very difficult. When life gets tough, what should the children of the King do? When we are hurt or offended by others, particularly family and close friends, we should seek to forgive, and not dwell on the hurt.

Proverbs 17:9 Love prospers when a fault is forgiven, but dwelling on it separates close friends.

The thought here is, “If you wish to have friends, forgive their wrongs” (UBS). This has been translated, “To forgive a wrong fosters friendship,” (FRCL) or “Whoever wishes to keep a friendship forgives offenses” (GECL).

“The ability to practice forgiveness and discretion is essential for the survival of an atmosphere of friendship” (Garrett).

James 4:17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

Regrettably, many of the children of the King have “heard it all before.” But despite all they know and believe, deep down they are just going through the motions. They feel as though it’s just not working for them. They drift away. And the distance becomes ever greater and greater. The darkness sets in. Many want to give up and quit.

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