“Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a person sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap destruction from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit.” (Galatians 6:7–8)
It is so fun watching my two-year-old grandson learn things. It is shocking how quickly he picks things up. That is, all but sharing a drink with Grandpa Doc.
Have you ever shared a drink with a kid? Chances are they put their whole mouth around the lip of the bottle. When they tilt the head back, drink flows freely into the mouth – when the head returns upright, drink flows freely back into the bottle…along with whatever snack the child had been eating before.
Sin is a lot like that drink: Take a sip if you want, but it always comes with backwash. That’s the gist of Paul’s statement to the Galatians. Whatever you put in, whether Spirit or flesh, is what you get out. The prophet Hosea said it a bit more poetically: “… they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind….” (Hosea 8:7)
Last week we talked about David’s sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. The discussion of those sins ended with this statement: “…the Lord considered what David had done to be evil.” (2 Samuel 11:27)
When David was confronted by the prophet Nathan, he eventually said: “I have sinned against the Lord,” but not until after David had hurt many people. Despite his confession of guilt, there were still consequences to pay. David sowed to his sinful nature and could expect a similar harvest. He’d sown the wind and could expect a whirlwind of consequences.
That word consequence comes from the Latin meaning “to follow after.” It’s the same root word as sequel. The consequences of sin are like a bad Sylvester Stallone movie – even though it’s over and you wasted your money, you just know there are some more bad sequels coming your way!
We all face the effects of our mistakes from time to time. So, when you find yourself “reaping the whirlwind,” what do you do? How do you handle it?
Let’s learn from David in this Sunday’s message, “Reaping the Whirlwind.”
See you there!
