DAY 29 - GALATIANS

April 6, 2023

Galatians 6:9-10 (NLT)

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.

Thought:

The principle is “a man reaps what he sows,” and now the promise is “In due season we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Behind this promise is a peril: getting weary in the work of the Lord and then eventually fainting and stopping our ministry. How easy it is for us to work for the Lord but permit the spiritual motivation to die. Like the priests of Israel that Malachi addressed, we serve the Lord but complain “Behold, what a weariness is it” (Malachi 1:13). So what can cause us to become weary? It is possible to “faint” because of lack of nourishment and prayer. “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). If we try to keep going without proper food and rest and time with the Spirit, we will lose the spiritual motivation that comes from the Spirit.

The promise Paul gives here in Galatians 6:9 also helps us to keep going. The seed planted does not bear fruit immediately. There are seasons to the soul just as there are seasons to nature, and we must give the seed time to take root and bear fruit. The Lord of the harvest is in charge of the harvest!

And then in verse 10 Paul reminds the church: as we do good to all people, we must give priority to the “family of believers.” Essentially, we share with other believers so that all of us might be able to share Jesus with a needy world. As we abound in love for one another, we overflow in love for all men (1 Thessalonians 3:12). This is how the local church is designed (by God) to function.

Application:

1. Are you becoming weary in doing good or have you lost the spiritual motivation to do good? Ask the Holy Spirit to sustain you and strengthen you and provide His power.

2. Ask God to prompt you and use you to do good for your “family of believers."

DAY 28 - GALATIANS

April 5, 2023

Galatians 6:6-8 (NLT)

Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them. 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.

Thought:

The basic principle of sowing and reaping is found throughout the Bible. God has ordained that we reap what we sow. It’s a natural law. In this text, Paul is also telling us to be careful where we sow. He sees two possible kinds of soil: the flesh and the Spirit. All we do is either an investment in the flesh or an investment in the things of God. And once we have finished sowing, we cannot change the harvest. A person who plants to please their own desires will reap a crop of sorrow and destruction and death. But be encouraged that the believer who walks in the Spirit and “sows'' in the Spirit is going to reap a spiritual harvest. If his sowing has been generous, the harvest will be bountiful – if not in this life, certainly in the life to come.

With Galatians 6:6, Paul is simply saying: If we think of our material possessions as “seed,” money sown to the Spirit (such as sharing with those who teach the Word) will produce life, and in that harvest will be seeds that can be planted again for another harvest...and on and on into eternity.

Application:

1. What kind of seeds are you sowing?

2. Take inventory of where your time and resources are being “planted.” (You may want to select one category, such as “weekend time” or “personal expenses.”) What areas do not reflect the harvest you want?

DAY 27 - GALATIANS

April 4, 2023

Galatians 6:3-5 (NLT)

If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important. Pay careful attention to your own work, for then you will get the satisfaction of a job well done, and you won’t need to compare yourself to anyone else. For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

Thought:

Paul is explaining how to live together as a community of believers. He has just written that we must help carry each other's burdens (Galatians 6:1–2). What causes us not to do this? Pride. We see ourselves as self-reliant, not needing help to carry our load even when it gets too heavy for us. The problem with this thinking is that it leads to believing this lie: that we are more significant or stronger than other believers; that we don’t need the same kind of help and grace that others need. In truth, only Christ is strong enough to meet all of our needs, and all of our strength comes from God's Spirit. We must not fall into the trap of seeing ourselves as the source of our own ability to follow Jesus.

Note that Galatians 6:2 and Galatians 6:5 do not contradict each other when they say “carry each other’s burdens” and “each one should carry his own load.” Verse 2 speaks of an unsought and oppressive burden. And verse 5 uses a different word for burden – it describes a man’s pack, a load he is designed to bear. Thus, we should help one another bear the heavy burdens of life, but there are personal responsibilities that each man must bear for himself.

Application:

1. Romans 12:3-6 and 2 Corinthians 10:12-18 offer further insight for a correct view of oneself. Think about your view of yourself and what you measure yourself against.

2. What might be stopping you from fully engaging with the community of believers (the local church)?