A Better Way
Gtcotr/ss031305
Our main text today will come from the book of Galatians.
There was a rich man who died and went to heaven. Upon arriving he was given a tour of the city where he saw beautiful mansions on streets of gold. After a while he was ready to see the house which had been built just for him. The angel turned and led him between two stately and ornate mansions with large doors made of pearl and sapphire and continued past several streets seeing more modest homes to a smaller perimeter road where rows of plain houses sat. “The third one from the corner is yours”, the angel pointed and said. What! Exclaimed the man. Why is my house so plain and small? “Well, you see” replied the angel, “that’s all the material you sent ahead for us to work with … and you still owe for the doors.”
While this story may be a bit far fetched, one still has to believe that: What we do on earth will matter for eternity.
It is certain that we all are a part of
The Circle of Life
Things begin and things end.
Our Challenge Is to:
Believe it
Prepare for it
Deal with it
Not only is there a Circle of Life where things begin and things end, but in between it is certain that we will also experience
The Cycle of Life
Sometimes things are good and sometimes things are bad
There will be Ups and
There will be Downs
Our Challenge Is To:
Not let the ups get us off course, and
Not let the downs get us off course
Make outward changes on the hill
Make inward changes in the valley
There is The Circle of Life, there is The Cycle of Life, and then there is:
The Secret of Life
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
It’s akin to the Law of Reciprocity.
When we do one thing it causes another thing.
The bible puts it this way:
Galatians 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
In recent history this scripture has been primarily used in relation to finances. Even though this scripture does cover the financial areas of life, it expressly speaks in reference to how we are accustomed to treating our fellow man, or woman, as may be the case.
Lets read on:
Galatians 6:8 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.
Now this verse completes the principle of sowing and reaping and gives us a strong framework around which we can firmly establish exactly what the Apostle Paul is referring to when he gives us this great secret of life.
This morning I would like to use this scripture passage to focus on finding a better way to solve the periodic problems we face in the up and down cycles of life.
First on the up side:
In Deuteronomy 6 Moses told the children of Israel to beware when things start to go your way and when prosperity and ease of life comes your way. Why beware?
Because, it is in those moments of life that people are often tempted to sow carnal seeds and give less attention to the God who blessed them with prosperity and ease of life in the first place.
This is what God said through Moses:
Deuteronomy 6
10 "So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build,
11 "houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full—
12 "then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
When things are going well, we must not forget God, but continue to serve Him faithfully.
God calls people who are blessed and hopes to make them a blessing to others.
God also blesses and increases people who before had very little, in hopes that they will take the opportunity to be a blessing to others.
You have heard of the carnal philosophy:
“Get what you can and can what you get.”
I call that the:
“The Bigger Barn Mentality”
This is described by Jesus in:
Luke 12 (NIV)
16 And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 "Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 And I’ll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."‘
20 "But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God."
We can’t take it with us unless we bless others with it.
We who are blessed with joy, peace, salvation, forgiveness, hope, comfort, faith or resources, can certainly afford to share some of what we have with others - especially your family. What else are you doing that is more important?
Conclusion: When things are going good, Find a way to share a portion of your blessings with others.
What about when things aren’t going so well?
Then, especially then, definitely then, we must find a way to sow seeds in respect to our needs.
What is the answer for world hunger?
Either somebody who has sown seeds and produced a crop gives the hungry food, or
The hungry need to sow some seeds and grow their own crop.
Because:
Bad things left to themselves do not get better, they get worse.
What if I told you that it took 4 months to grow corn under the best of circumstances.
Noah’s neighbors would have been the first to tell us that we should not wait until it begins to rain before we start building our ship.
When things are on the down side of life and perhaps we are in a difficult moment with no peace, no joy, no hope or no resources, it can be difficult to even think of helping someone else.
There are many reasons why people in an immediate need can’t see their way clear to begin sowing seeds for a future harvest.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. (NKJV)
Ecclesiastes 11:4 If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. (NLT)
A carnal person sows what they have reaped while a spiritual person sows what they desire to reap.
I leave you this morning with the next two verses to finish out the thought we started in Galatians, Chapter 6.
Galatians 6 (NKJV)
9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.
In conclusion this morning:
* Believe there will be good and blessed seasons of life
* If you are in one look around to see how you can use this time to be a blessing to others.
* If you are not in a blessed season of life, look around and see how you can sow some seeds to produce a blessing.
* Share some forgiveness, joy, peace, patience, hope and resources with others.
* It’s either your duty or it’s your salvation.
