gailantosh - We Harvest What We Plant

Galatians 6

1 Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by
some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person
back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same
temptation yourself. 2 Share each other's burdens, and in this way obey
the law of Christ. 3 If you think you are too important to help
someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.

4 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. 5 For we are each responsible for our own conduct.

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

7 Don't be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always
harvest what you plant. 8 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. 9 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. 10
Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to
everyone-especially to those in the family of faith.

*The first time I read this passage I felt it soaking into my life like a sponge in water. It coincides with everything I'm currently involved in. Radical awakenings need to happen in every aspect of my living right now.

First off, working in a "Christian zone" has been quite the experience. It has never been the chocolate covered job I expected and it most certainly hasn't provided the spiritual food I've been seeking. It's quite ironic how I finally understand what's holding me back from these things after almost 9 months of working there. But having just one week left is not going to hold me back from applying this scripture to this area of my life. The store is supposed to be a light for all who enter. We are able to aid in the spiritual journeys of the customers by providing them with the right resources or even just an ear to listen. This is a truly gratifying role, however, before we attempt to help carry the burdens of others to Christ, we ourselves have lay everything at the foot of the cross. I have been so selfish, believing that I could better overcome the stresses in my life than God could. My heart has never been fully in this job because of the weight on my shoulders. Now that it has been removed by Christ, it is time to help my brothers and sisters in the Lord do the same.

This leads to the "outer bubble" portion of my life. My second job is in a completely secular environment. I have always thought of it as such an amazing opportunity to reflect Jesus to the people who have never had a good taste of him. People have asked me questions since day one and I thrived to answer them. I felt as if I was giving my peers hope and watering my own garden of God at the same time. I don't doubt that some seeds have been planted in that place, but reading over this passage makes me realize that the seeds are not as deep as they could be. After Christians give their burdens to God it is so much easier to lead the unbelievers home. That is the second realization I came to. First we bring our faults to Christ ourselves, then we encourage the family of God to do the same, and lastly, we allow the love of Jesus to penetrate through our souls and into our daily lives in hopes that the blind will see.

It is no mystery how this all leads up to Africa and the trip I will be taking there in just over a month. I am going to serve. I am going with a hope that we reap the harvest of blessing.

It is so good to do good. All in Christs name.