“Be not deceived; God is not mocked:
for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
(Galatians 6:7)
This text in Galatians is a solemn reminder that God’s Word is never to be taken lightly. How we respond to it determines what we will reap both in this life and in eternity because to engage with the Word is to engage with God Himself. Indeed, John, in his Gospel, describes the Son of God as the “Word,” the fullest expression of God’s message to mankind.
Moreover, Scripture is not just recorded history. Nor is it a manual for moral conduct. Rather, It is divinely inspired, “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). That is, the Bible is the living expression of the living God. Hebrews 4:12 affirms that “the Word is alive, powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing the soul and spirit, discerning the very thoughts and intents of the heart.” This is why it is able to transform hearts and change lives … because it is God’s own voice.
Isaiah 55:11 declares that the Word never fails to accomplish the purpose for which God sends it. It gives life to those who believe, but it also condemns those who reject it. Therefore, Luke 8:18 warns: “Take heed how you hear!”
The Word must be received with faith and obedience. To hear His Word carelessly or irreverently is to disregard the God who spoke it. Jesus’ command in Mark 6:11, “to shake the dust off the feet against those who reject the message,” is a warning that carries eternal consequence. Cities like Capernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin stand as examples of the peril of rejecting the Word of Christ.
John Flavel wrote, “The Gospel is a river of the waters of life, which quickens and refreshes everything that lives; but the mire and marish places will not be healed.”[1]
This is why seeds of obedience sown by receiving God’s Word will reap a harvest of life and blessing while seeds of neglect or rebellion will reap corruption and judgment. God’s Word will not return void; it will either soften or harden, bless or condemn.
So to engage rightly with it is to embrace God’s grace and be transformed by it.
Contemplations:
- Greater condemnation. What a fearful condemnation is added to our sin and misery that we are not only accountable for all the light we have been given but for all that we might have had in the day of the Gospel! How dreadful it is to waste the mercies of abundant light.
- Seeds of judgment. Lord, you will bring everything into judgment (Eccl. 12:14), and not only sinful actions but also words (Matt. 12:36), and not only words but also secrets of the heart (Rom. 2:16). When I weigh this against Galatians 6:7, I see the seriousness of every thought, desire, word, and deed. What I sow, I will reap in that great day.
- Mercy still offered. Lord, I must be aware of how invaluable a mercy it is that You are yet within the reach of offered grace… that I may still reap beneficial rewards from Your Word while time remains.
- Special mercies. Lord, those born in a land where Bibles and ministers abound receive a special mercy from Your hand. You have placed me in a land of light. Do not let me despise this blessing, but remind me to treasure it, use it, and profit from it.
Prayer (confession)
Lord God, eternal and holy, I confess my careless dealings with your Word. You have spoken with perfect clarity, with living power, with piercing light, and yet I have often treated your Word as though it were common, as though it were the words of men. I tremble at the thought that I have mocked You by neglect, by inattention, and by coldness of heart. You said that what a man sows he will also reap. And I have sown thoughts, words, and actions that were unworthy of Your truth. I have sown to the flesh, and by Your justice I deserve to reap corruption.
Forgive me, Lord, for hearing sermons with a wandering mind, for reading Your Word with dull affections, for letting Your voice fall to the ground without obedience. Forgive me for how often I have known the right and chosen the wrong, for how often Your warnings have passed by me as though they belonged to someone else. Forgive me that Your Word has sometimes been to me like seed falling by the wayside, choked by cares, or scorched by my hardness of heart.
I confess, O God, that I have wasted Your mercies. I live in a land of open Bibles and faithful ministers, and yet I have not treasured this abundance as I ought. I have grumbled at small inconveniences while ignoring the riches of light You have given me. I confess my ingratitude, my indifference, and my lack of reverence and respect for Your Word.
Lord, cleanse me from these sins. And don’t let my careless hearing reap a harvest of judgment. Don’t allow my shallow responses to bring forth only thorns. Sow your Word deep into my heart by Your Spirit. Break up the fallow ground of my soul. Let Your Word take root, grow, and bear fruit in me.
I also confess my hypocrisy in claiming love for Your Word while failing to obey it. Your Word says that not the hearers but the doers shall be justified. How often I have been content with hearing only, deceiving myself. O Lord, forgive this self-deception. Grant me grace to be a doer of your Word, to walk in obedience, to live as one who truly believes what You have spoken.
O merciful Father, remember the blood of Your Son shed for sinners like me. Let His perfect obedience cover my disobedience. Let His sacrifice blot out the harvest of corruption my sins deserve.
I cast myself on Your mercy, O God. Let me tremble at Your Word, rejoice in Your promises, and walk in Your ways. Sow in me the seeds of eternal life and cause me to reap the blessings of grace, not the wages of sin.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Galatians 6:7:
1 Cor. 6:9, Job 4:8, Prov. 22:8, 1 John 3:7
[1] John Flavel, England’s Duty under the Present Gospel Liberty (London: Printed for Matthew Wotton .., 1689), 13.
