We Reap What We Sow
ICS Daily Devotions
Proverbs 16:3,9 (NKJV) Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established…. A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.
Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV) Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
As Christians, we should commit our plans and strategies to God and ask Him whether they align with His will for our lives. We can take time to pray the same prayer—the prayer of consecration—repeatedly when making a major decision.
However, many Christians pursue their own agendas and then ask God to bless them. Yet God is not obliged to bless a “man’s good idea” when He was never consulted. There is a vast difference between a good idea and a God idea. If it is God’s idea, He will fund it and bless it; if it is just your idea, you will have to fund it yourself. Simon Peter was a professional fisherman, yet he toiled all night and caught nothing until he acted on the specific Word of Jesus to “launch out into the deep” (Luke 5:4). Similarly, we will not have a firm footing unless we act on the Lord’s specific instructions.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
In the Bible, the flesh refers to the sum of appetites, desires and needs whose purpose is the satisfaction of self; everything in our lives that seeks to live independently of God and does not bow to God.
If we choose to live independent of God’s will, we need to be prepared to reap the consequences of our decisions. For example, we might want to invest, expand the business, take out a loan, and be more concerned with what people think of us than with God’s plan for us. We often charge ahead with our plans without God’s blessing, and when a crisis comes, we find that we have no peace, joy, or faith to stand on, which we would have if we were walking in God’s will. When that happens, it often makes us feel as though God is not blessing our plans, but the truth is that we have not fully consecrated our lives to Him to lead and guide us.
Nowadays, there is also a danger that Christians will choose to consult AI about their plans rather than spend time talking to God and seeking His will, because they want fast answers. While AI may satisfy this need for speed, it cannot replace God in our lives. If Christians are not careful, they will soon have more conversations with AI than with God.
Reflection: When you make decisions, do you have the habit of seeking God’s will, even if it takes time? What is the truth that “we reap what we sow” prompting you to change?
Sermon Series： Surrendering Your Will to God
