A container of seeds

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10)

Plant a seed of faith, grow a life of good things. Plant a seed of doubt, grow a life of worry and heartache. The truth about sowing and reaping has been around forever. You cannot grow an apple tree from a mustard seed any more than you can grow a life of intimacy with God with seeds of worldly advice. If we want to see one harvest over another, we plant specific seeds. As Paul points out, you cannot live to satisfy your own sinful nature and expect a life of blessing or intimacy with God. Life choices matter more than we may think. The more we live to please self, the less we will live to please God. 

Whenever we have the opportunity - those words might set the tone for what God wants us to hear today. We WILL have opportunity to do good - do we choose to do so when presented with the opportunity. Webster defines opportunity as the set of circumstances that actually make it possible to do something. We can be presented with the set of circumstances that make it possible for us to sin - do we follow after those? Or do we resist them and pursue a different set of circumstances that lead us into a deeper and more intimate relationship with Jesus?

All of life is made up of 'opportunity'. We make choices based upon which 'opportunity' we see as more 'worthwhile' or 'beneficial' at that moment. The problem is that we don't always base our definition of 'worthwhile' or 'beneficial' according to what scripture says. We base it upon what our emotions or imagination concocts. That is dangerous ground, for sure. The more we discover truth in God's Word, the less likely we are to accept what our emotions or imagination is drawn toward. We find the set of circumstances presented to be 'less than desirable' because we have observed a promise for so much more.

Plant a seed - reap a harvest. Spend time in God's Word (seed) - reap a harvest of wisdom, peace, and 'filtered choices'. Read his Word, not as a novel to be 'read through', but as a container of 'seeds' that have huge potential to produce more than just one harvest. You might just find that when the opportunity to do good is presented next to the opportunity to follow other choices, you won't hesitate to sow the seed that produces only the best for your life. Just sayin!