WHAT ARE YOU SOWING BROTHER?

Galatians 6:7-10

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.”

The logo or icon of the Bible Society in South Africa is the picture of a man sowing seed by hand. This is the same as the word picture Paul used in his letter to the Galatians. He wanted all to know that we get back what we give out. We are all aware that we do not plant wild oats and reap wheat. “He that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.” I we spend our life seeking earthly rewards, that is what we shall reap, and only that. What does the wealthy farmer take with him when he comes to the end of life? We start with nothing and we end the same way. The ancient Egyptians filled the graves of their Pharos with every thing they believed it possible that they would need in an after life, but those things, resplendent with gold, have now ended up in the museums, along with a dried and dusty mummy. Such is the destination of any life that is set on material earthly things. The body decays and the wealth is dispensed.

But, there is a better alternative. “He that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” He has a more lofty purpose in life. His eye is set on spiritual things, not material. All that we have that is material belongs to God. He made it all. We are but stewards, slaves mind you, entrusted to use these things for a short period of time. Even as the master of a slave is responsible for everything his slaves needed, thus God will provide for all that we need; perhaps not all that we want, but all that we need. Jesus made this clear when he said, “in my Father’s house are many mansions,” or places as some versions word it. God does, and will supply, and in heaven one is not still a servant, but a brother or sister and an heir of God’s. God will not provide for his own family that which will fall apart in the first hundred years or grow old and tattered. He will provide for eternity, even as he provided for the Children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness, everything, water, food, and clothing and shoes that did not wear out until they reached their destination, the Promised Land.

God has a better plan. He will care for the needy though their brothers and sisters here; not directly as the manna fell in the wilderness and was harvested every morning. God wants those who he blesses with much, to assist those who are lacking, “especially them who are of the household of faith.” That is the idea behind the benevolent ministry of the church. Today’s believers have grown lax and leave this to Social Security. Unfortunately it is a fact that the poor, who have spent a lifetime earning the minimum wage or even less, have built up a very low level of investment over the years and their Social Security income is far below the “poverty level” and pushed lower every year by the required Medicare deductions. Those are the Medicaid patients and the homeless.

As far as I know, virtually all of our Benevolent Societies, orphanages, homeless shelters, nursing homes, and retirement centers are forced to turn these people, whether “of the faith” or not, away for lack of funding. This is the responsibility of the church. Missionaries should not have to operate food kitchens for Christians who are in need.

Let us look to what we are doing, and also to what we are neglecting. It isn’t only in India and Ethiopia that there are needy and hungry Christians. They are everywhere, even in our American churches if we look carefully.