God's Response:
Don't be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 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.
Galatians 6:7-8
The tongue can bring death or life, those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
Proverbs 18:21
Our Takeaway:
It would certainly be a surprise if you planted corn, and pumpkins can up. It's a natural law that you reap what you sow. Every action has consequences. If you plant seeks of gossip, you will lose the trust of your friends. If you plant seeds only to please your own desires, you'll reap a crop of sorrow, confusion, and possibly even disastrous outcome. If you plant seeds to please God, you'll reap joy and confidence in all circumstances and in the end, everlasting life. What kind of seeds are you planting?
God's Challenge:
I said; "Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your heart, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that He may come and shower righteousness upon you".
Hosea 10:12
Big T's Thought To Ponder:
Several thoughts on this subject in which I consider myself an expert and not in a prideful way believe me! Unfortunately you wouldn't want to sow the seeds of my old self-reliant, self-centered ways. I understand the question perfectly as it rings so clear as to what the world instructs us to do and who to be if we what to be happy. An it's all about us being happy, right?
- The one with the most toys wins...
- The only one that's going to make you happy is you...
- Money won't buy you happiness, but it's a great down payment on it...
- If you want success, you got to go out and take it...
- Only the strong survive...
- The strong get stronger and the weak get weaker...
- Toot your own horn because nobody else is going to to it for you...
Everything the world teaches us directs everything to "Self". We are to seek the world to be self-suffiecient, self-reliant, self-centered, self-seeking, self-gratifying, self-absorbent, self-motivated, self-made; self-righrighteous, self-help, Self-disiplined, self-confidence, self-dependent, self, self, self...
First word of advise if you have a desire to follow God, lose all the words in your vocabulary that begin with "self" and replace them "God", or "Others" All the words above were descriptors for the old man I once was just a couple years ago and I thank God everyday that this man is dead!
Once God helped me to set aside the "I'", "Me" and "Self" and start putting myself last, my life started to become that full, abundant and complete life we all desire. A close brother gave me an acronym that always stuck with me: J.O.Y. (Jesus) fist... (Others) second... (Yourself) last...
We were created by Him and for Him. We have all been created for service and we have all been equipment and blessed by the Holy Spirit with one or more unique spiritual gifts or talents. Sure we can go out in the world and use these talents to do great worldly things and sometimes God allows this to happen, for a while any way. You can even product produce fruit indepentant of God, it's just no worth eating!
John 15:1-11 illustrates this perfectly, these are truths that we need to guide us, not the lies the world would have us believe.
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedesser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that bears that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit". "
You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me".
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned".
"If your abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples".
"As the Father love Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be complete".
We are to do everything through the guidance and strength of Jesus Christ and not of our own strength or understanding. Again, we can produce good looking fruit independent of God, but it's plastic and is good for nothing.Our Creator knows best... So trying harder to be happy isn't even possible, we can only truly find happiness In Christ Jesus, He is the source of our Peace, Joy and Eternal Happiness - The Way, The Truth and The Life....
Let go and let God....
