Sowing to the Spirit vs. Sowing to the Flesh | Devotional

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction…” —GALATIANS 6:8

We may sow seeds designed to satisfy and please the flesh and we will reap the consequences – destruction. Or we may sow seeds designed to satisfy and please the Spirit, and reap those consequences – a greater enjoyment of a new quality of life that is the eternal life of God in us.

When we find ourselves falling into major areas of sin, it is rarely because the sin has crept up on us and caught us unawares. Long before events take place we have unwisely sown the seeds that have, in their own time, germinated and produced their fruit. When a Christian of standing falls in a public way, as many sadly have, we may be shocked by it, but we can be fairly sure it did not take place overnight. Long before a fall took place, unchecked seeds sown in the soil of their minds germinated, and in the course of time, came to life and produced their inevitable fruit.

When Paul speaks in Galatians of destruction as the consequence of sowing to the flesh, he is not speaking of eternal damnation as he is addressing those already indwelt by the Spirit and sealed by His presence as God’s people. Paul talks about this same destruction to the Corinthians, using a different metaphor; the need to construct a building on the foundation of Jesus Christ. He writes, “If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames” (1 Corinthians 3:12-15). 

This is a destruction that involves ‘escaping through the flames’ but with empty hands. To sow seeds that are purely humanly oriented and detached from God is to sow things that may well please the sinful nature in the short term, but will carry no eternal dimension or quality. On the contrary, they will actively rob us of the eternal benefits otherwise in store on the Day of Judgment.

Burying the seeds of sin does not deal with it. Seeds love to be buried! That is how they spring to life, grow and reproduce themselves. The only way sin ever leaves our bodies is through our mouths. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Lord, I come humbly to You to confess my sin and ask for your help in overcoming areas of sin that have a hold on me. Thank You, Lord.

Am I confessing my sin and asking for the Lord’s help in dealing with it?