Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap

A few Sundays back, in our Bible study class, we had a discussion regarding the law (in general) which has sort of got me to thinking about the subject and started my editorial juices flowing. Since I haven't done an editorial on the topic of "law" for quite some time, I thought perhaps it's due time to do so.

Now we all recognize that we must have laws. We frequently hear mentioned the phrase "law and order" and, if you think about the structure of that phrase, it's worded in the appropriate order, isn't it? You have law first and then order follows. Or, look at it from the opposite direction: no law - no order. In other words, without law there would be chaos.

Of course, having a law necessitates some form of enforcement or it's worthless. We can have all the laws in the world, but if they're not enforced, what good are they? And man has lots of laws on the books with more coming out of some government entity every day. Some are good, some are "EH?" and some are downright stupid. But, here again, it's man writing them so what can you expect.

Unlike man, God has written some laws and all of them are good. What say we talk about His laws for a few minutes, especially one in particular. You remember, for Israel, God wrote the Ten Commandments which was the basis for the Law of Moses and this was the governing law until it was superceded by Christ's Law. When Jesus came to earth as the Messiah to the Jews and the Savior of all mankind, His crucifixion and resurrection ushered in a new Covenant, a new Law. (Heb. 8:6-13)

The aforementioned "particular" law that I'd like us to spend a little time looking at today is found within this "new Covenant." Even though we find it in the New Testament, actually it's universal to all the dispensations of time. Here's the law of which I speak, the one I'd like you to consider with me today. We read this law in Gal. 6:7 "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap."

I once saw an illustration that said that the words of this law "should be written in flaming letters on the portal of eternity." I thought at the time, "What a neat conception" and I still think it to be a great idea.

The essence of this law, as God wrote it via the hand of Paul, is seen in the similitude of planting and harvesting crops. Now I'm not a farmer, although I've been known to grow some mighty fine chili peppers, but I do understand the concept of what you plant is what grows and what grows is what's harvested. So, pursuing God's use of farming in showing us the gist of this law, let's see what kind of crops we can plant.

Just a few verses before the penning of our law under discussion, Paul gave us the characteristics, IE: the seeds, of two distinctly different crops. In Gal. 5:19-21 we see the makeup of our first crop. "Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like, of which I tell you before hand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (NKJV)

I'd like you to notice some things about this crop. First, it's easily recognizable, or as Paul says, it's "evident." And next, remember what I said earlier about the universality of this law? Notice in verse 20 that the words "in times past" indicate exactly that. It also tells us that the planters of this crop, in a manner of speaking, will not make it to God's granary, IE: "will not inherit..."

Now, lets take a look at the other crop described by Paul that we can sow and reap. Still in Gal. 5, let's read verses 22-23 together: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law." (NKJV) The last part of verse 23 simply means that for "crops" of this nature there would never be any opposition or law against them.

Wouldn't you agree with me that this last mentioned crop would be the one to make it into God's granary? In paraphrasing Hebrews 6:7-8 wouldn't you say that those who "cultivate" crops of this nature are the ones to "receive blessings from God?" And, on the other hand, those who "cultivate" crops of "thorns and briers" will be "cursed and burned?"

In wrapping up our little study of this law and, hopefully, gaining a better understanding of it, I think it should cause us to be better farmers and better "cultivators" because we know what manner of "seeds" to sow, thus we know what type of harvest we'll reap. When we thoroughly understand the essence of the "law of harvest" we should desire to be wise and obedient farmers, don't ya think?

Especially when we also know and understand who the "reapers" are and what happens to the crops they harvest. You can read about the harvest time and who the reapers will be in Matt. 13:41-42. I'll just close with the statement that it's my goal to have my crop acceptable to God and thereby blessed by Him. Rather than being "cast into the furnace of fire."

One last thought. Since there are two "portals" that open to eternal locations, as we pass through our "portal of eternity" don't we want it to be the door to God's granary - heaven? If so, it therefore behooves us to grow the right crop.

Ron Covey

　

　

　

　

　

　

　

I Hope You Dance

I'm not a big fan of County Western Music, but a song was brought to my
attention a while back through the death of a friend. I was told that her
favorite song was "I Hope You Dance," by Lee Ann Womack, so I looked it up
on the Internet and was impressed and encouraged by the words on the song.

In the past two weeks we have lost two of our wonderful church family
members. Both of these ladies were unable to do a lot of things that many of
us take for granted everyday. Yet, they both had an irrepressible spirit
that said they were going to do the best and make the most of life whenever
they could. They smiled often and laughed a lot, kidded and joked in a way
that if you didn't know it you would not have guessed they were in as bad
shape physically. They both were fun to be around and you enjoyed being with
them because they made you feel good.

I think their philosophy of life could be summed up by the words of the song
I mentioned. Notice a few lines from it: "I hope you never loose your sense
of wonder... you get your fill to eat but always keep that hunger. Whenever
one door closes I hope one more opens. Promise me that you'll give fate the
fighting chance... give the heavens above more than just a passing glance,
and when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance." There
is much more to the song, but I think you get the idea.

The writer of Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 writes, "To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time
to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A
time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build
up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to
dance.."

If you are anything like me, dancing may not be your thing, but I don't
think God is literally telling us he expects us to dance. I believe the
concept is that there should be rejoicing in our lives. I have been known to
"jump for joy," or shout "YES!" when I'm feeling good or had a victory.

So, when all is said and done lets pray that there is more done than said.
Each of us should perhaps spend more time dancing (rejoicing, counting our
blessing) or however you want to phrase it. As it said in the song, for each
of you, I hope you dance.

May our God give you a spirit of rejoicing now and forever!

Russ Lawson

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Copa del Rey

Brett Petrillo recounted a recent incident in Spain that illustrates an
important lesson for all of us.

Trophies have always been the symbol of superiority, accomplishment and
bragging rights. For the National Football League, it's the Vince Lombardi
Trophy. For the National Hockey League, it's the Stanley Cup. For Spain's
soccer championship, the trophy is called the Copa del Rey.

The championship game this year in Spain was between Barcelona and Real
Madrid. Since this soccer championship began in 1902, Barcelona has won it
more times than any other team (25 times). For Real Madrid, it had been 18
years since they last held the Copa del Rey. On this night however, Real
Madrid was the better team.

So, finally, after 18 long years, Real Madrid lifted up that sweet trophy of
success. Soon the team was parading down the streets on top of a
double-decker bus as 60,000 fans cheered and praised the team.

However, as the celebration continued, the Copa del Rey slipped out of the
hands of one of the players, fell down in the street, and was crushed under
the bus. *

This incident reminds us of the temporal nature of THINGS that we value most
in this life, ALL of which will eventually end up lost, stolen, or crushed
under the bus!

Jesus said, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and
where thieves do not break in and steal" (Matthew 6:19-20).

Jesus teaches us to place our hope in eternal treasures rather than
temporary, earthly ones. He reminds us that the most important things in
life are not THINGS!

John emphasized these same truths: "Do not love the world or the things in
the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world. And the
world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God
abides forever" (1Jn 2:15-17).

Those who surrender their lives in trusting obedience to the will of God
have their sins washed away by the blood of Jesus and receive the gift of
ETERNAL life (John 3:16). "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

The Lord will give the crown of life to those who place their faith and
trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts
17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized
(immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). Those who
continue to keep their focus on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-3) and follow Him
faithfully will inherit eternal life in heaven.

Don't put your hope in temporary things. Put your hope in Jesus who rewards
the faithful with eternal blessings.

Won't YOU?

David A. Sargent

I just love that new car smell

Mothers are great for telling and recording stories, you probably know some
stories your mother tells about you or perhaps you have some stories you can
tell about your children. Stories are important! They teach us, they mold
our character, they help us learn right from wrong and what is really
important, and they set our value system in place.

Our daughter-in-law, Mylinda, shared this short conversation with us that
she had with our 4 year old grand daughter, Allison. Mylinda said: "Tomorrow
we are going to see Geckos!" To which Allison replied: "OHHH I LOOOOVE
Geckos!" Her mom asked, "Do you know what Geckos are?" Allison's response
was: "No; what?

Another story was shared by our niece Melanie regarding her 4 year old
daughter Megan. Melanie set a bowl of cereal on the table in front of Megan.
Megan put face down to bowl of cereal and breathed deeply. She raised her
head and exclaimed, "I just love that new car smell." (Some one has been
watching too many new car commercials.)

What stories do you tell? Do you tell the ones that are really important,
the life changing stories, the soul saving stories?

Notice what we read about the importance of telling the right stories in
JOEL 1:1-3: "The LORD gave this message to Joel son of Pethuel. Hear this,
you leaders of the people. Listen, all who live in the land. In all your
history, has anything like this happened before? Tell your children about it
in the years to come, and let your children tell their children. Pass the
story down from generation to generation."

I've heard parents say, "I don't know where I went wrong with raising our
children." Most of the time I don't know either, but perhaps part of the
problem is the things we taught them about what is really important in life.
What stories have we told, of what important things have we reminded them
and planted in their hearts.

When we are old and remember the stories of our life, what stories will
stand out most, the cute things or the life changing things?

May our God lead you in telling the "Old Old story of the wonderful words of
life".

Russ Lawson

earthquake in New Zealand

 

My thought topic for today's editorial lesson stems from some recent news casts plus something I read that was written during the Civil War by a minister in a letter to the Secretary of the Treasury. I think you'll have no trouble seeing the connection between the minister's concern and the recent news events, however I'll give you a clue - "national disasters."

I doubt that any of you are unaware of the devastation wreaked by the latest series of storms on the Southern states. I'm not sure what the latest count is regarding those killed by the storms, but the last I heard was well over 200 victims. The property damage is almost beyond belief.

Let's not forget that other nations have suffered greatly from recent events too. There were "national disasters" occurring in New Zealand and Japan that destroyed many lives and tremendous amounts of property. My niece and her family was a victim of the earthquake in New Zealand but, thanks be to God, it was only in the realm of property loss.

And, besides the recent storms, we can't forget Katrina and its effect on the gulf coast and the earthquake in Haiti. Having been in several violent storms myself (typhoons in the Pacific) I can attest to something I believe to be a commonly held epiphany by those who experience such things as violent storms and events and that is: a sudden and clear understanding of just how insignificant man is compared to God's natural world.

There are simply catastrophic happenings over which, regardless of how advanced in education and technology we've become, we find that we have absolutely no control. Events in which we humans simply can only hang on and, hopefully, ride them out. It's these "national disasters" that fall into the category of "unavoidable" and they are "unavoidable" because man has no control over them.

However, in my humble opinion, there are things in our world, in our society, that I classify as "national disasters" which are "avoidable." Which man has control over. It's this category of "national disasters" that relate to what the minister wrote in his letter to the Secretary of the Treasury. Of course the cause for his concern was the terrible events of the Civil Way wherein thousands of lives were being lost or devastated by the fighting of it. But, his concerns would hold true for all wars and other manmade catastrophes.

In my mind, these kinds of manmade catastrophes include society's descent, perhaps I should say plunge, into the abyss of government sanction of things like abortion, aberrant lifestyles, corporate greed and the prevalent sinful behavior of much of the nation's citizens. As far as I'm concerned, these also constitute "national disasters."

Here's what the minister penned in his letter: "From my heart I have felt our national shame in disowning God and not the least of our present national disasters." Yes, he was concerned that, as a nation, we had gotten so far away from God and His Principles, that we were suffering for that apostasy. His purpose for the letter was to make a suggestion that this country recognize " the Almighty God in some form on our coins."

The Secretary agreed with this suggestion by the minister and ordered that the words "In God We Trust" be placed on all of the coinage of the United States. In 1956 these words were officially designated by Congress as our National Motto. They were then ordered to be inscribed on all our monies, both paper and coin.

Now I'm not relating the "unavoidable" disasters to our spiritual slippage as a nation, even though some have tried to do just that. What I am saying is, that I feel that our nation's spiritual decline is directly related to our "avoidable" disasters. I believe, like the minister wrote in his letter, that it is to "our national shame" that we've removed ourselves so far from God's principles that we are now found in our "present national disasters."

You know what? We ought to be ashamed! And, if the minister thought our nation should be ashamed back in the 1860's, what do you think he'd say about the "national disasters" of today? I'm not sure what's beyond shame, but I believe that's where we've arrived.

I believe that the words "In God We Trust" has, in a national sense, become just hollow words. I'll even go so far as to say that, by a lot of the actions by our government, our National Motto has become a mockery. If, as a nation, and as a government, we truly trusted in God, we would not be witnessing these "present national disasters" in our country. If we, as a society, truly had "faith" in God, the behavior and sins that I mentioned earlier would be nonexistent.

I've used the word "event" several times throughout this lesson and I'd just like to make a short point regarding that word. If you look up the definition/s of it, you'll find one that means "an occurrence." That is the definition that applies to those previous usages of the word.

There is also another definition of "event" and that is, "a result." My point with these definitions - that there will come an "event, a result" of our abandonment of God. I'm afraid that much of our society will experience an "outcome" or a "result" of their departure from God that will not be pleasant. Perhaps even caused by following our government's apostasy from trusting in God's ways.

In keeping with the thought of the previous paragraph, let me close with a little poem written by Leonard H. Robbins.

                                    Be true while there yet is time,

                                    For this is the cry of a thousand souls

                                    That down to the Pit have trod.

                                    Who keeps the Truth from the people

                                    And stands in the way of God.

Ron Covey