Let us begin with a story. You are at a friend’s house celebrating some life event. You have had a couple of drinks and are feeling “buzzed” but determine that you are “safe” to drive yourself home. As you are driving, your friend texts you to let you know that you have left your jacket back at the party. You look down and begin typing your reply, unaware of the sharp corner you are coming upon. By the time you finish your text, you have careened off the road, smack dab into a tree. Unfortunately, the car has crumpled in such a way that your leg is wedged between the door and the dash. Help does not come for a while and, in the end, you lose your leg.
Galatians 6:7-8 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 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.”
You undergo extensive rehabilitation and, after some time, you are able to function on your own and even drive. Since the accident, you rarely drink, never drive after having even one, and never text while driving. Do these righteous decisions result in your leg growing back? No, of course not. You see, our life is not a balance sheet or math equation of “plusses” and “minuses” where the positives cancel out the negatives. Future righteous decisions will not negate the consequences of past unrighteous ones.
We all have, at one time or another, wished that our health or family life was going a certain way- you know, the way that we observe them going for others in our periphery. Here is the thing, though, if you do not take care of your body or home life from the beginning, you cannot expect to reap the blessings like those who have. Now, we neither know all of the facts about others nor should we be comparing ourselves to them; though this is true, the above remains a valid point.
Want a healthy body? Live a healthy life- eat what you should, exercise, abstain from drugs, alcohol, and sexual sins.
Proverbs 31:17 “She dresses herself with strength and makes her arms strong.”
1 Corinthians 6:18-20 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Ephesians 5:18 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,”
Want a healthy family? Root your home in love, respect, and discipline.
Ephesians 5:22-26 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,”
Proverbs 13:24 “Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.”
If you abused your body in your youth or failed to conform to God’s standards for your family from its inception, you should not be surprised at the dysfunction which exists in either or both. Does this mean that those of us who have a history of mistakes in these areas are destined for miserable lives and banned from the peace of God? The answer is a resounding “NO”, for we serve a God of mercy.
Psalm 145:8-9 “The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.”
When we repent from our sins, choosing to live according to God’s divine standard, and obey His Word, we then can enjoy a life of peace and joy in Christ. This is not to say that we will not have scar tissue from past failures or that the adverse effects from the negative decisions we have made will be magically erased. It simply means that we can still experience the Lord’s joy and peace, even with them, because we understand the righteousness of God and, therefore, have a sense of security and stability in knowing that our God does what He says He will do and without partiality.
Numbers 23:19 “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”
Romans 2:11 “For God shows no partiality.”
Hebrews 13:8 “ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
We all reap what we sow; righteous decisions reaping blessings and unrighteous ones reaping discipline. In both instances, God is expressing His love by providing encouragement for us to stay on the righteous path. When we remember that this simple principle of cause and effect is yet another revelation of His love and faithfulness, we will accept both the blessings and the discipline with humble gratitude.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
P.S. Just for the sake of balance, here are some verses re: the reaping what we sow from righteous living.
Psalm 128:1 “Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.”
Proverbs 21:21 “Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness, and honor.”
Luke 11:28 “But he said, ‘Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!’”
Love in Christ,
Monica Ledford