Galatians 6:7-9 “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. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” NLT
The commitment was there, but the eagerness...not so much. Every morning, I arose and laced up my sneakers to work out, and I completed it. But I didn’t really want to. In fact, a year went by before I became fully eager to embrace my new lifestyle wholeheartedly. That’s the truth. It was a year. The results, however, those I was eager to reap.
Today, if I must miss a day of working out, outside of my typical day off, I miss it. Working out has become a sort of therapy for me, working off stress, and working through things that I’m sure to face in the day ahead. I don’t like missing a day because I feel out of sorts when I do.
We turn to Galatians 6 where Paul is exhorting them regarding hard work. In our culture, we believe in the American dream and that with hard work, anything is possible. The sky’s the limit, and the Bible also teaches the same thing. We can truly accomplish anything with God’s strength and by working for it.
Paul assures them that they will reap a harvest of exactly the thing they have planted. We don’t plant apple seeds and harvest oranges. We pick the fruit of the tree we have planted. Paul further urges them to live to please the Spirit rather than simply doing whatever we wish, pleasing the flesh. When we live to please self, our harvest is decay and death. But when we live to please the Spirit, we inherit everlasting life! Paul then goes a little further by encouraging them, “Let’s not get tired of doing what is good...” (v. 9).
While commitment will take us a long way, it cannot take us forever. Spiritually speaking, our love for God is what pushes us further into a deeper relationship with Him. We must grow into an eagerness to love Him, to pray to Him, and to serve Him.
As we press on in our commitment to working out and eating healthy, at some point we’re going to tired of it and get bored. The nostalgia of laziness and fat-laden food will creep back in eventually. But remember, we harvest what we plant. The day I embraced that this journey was for life, those torturous thoughts stopped. As we live healthy lifestyles in a culture that loves the unhealthy, we may be tempted too easily and fall away if we rely solely on our commitment. At some point, as growth occurs, we must become eager to embrace all that it entails.
How about you? Are you eager? Have you grown further than commitment to embrace a healthy lifestyle and all it involves? Lean on Him. He will help you fulfill your commitment but to fall in love with pleasing Him! And in due time, you will reap a bountiful harvest.
Encouragement for Today
2 Corinthians 8:11 “Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have.” NLT
Acts 17:11 “And the people of Bereawere more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures day after day to see if Paul and Silas were teaching the truth.” NLT
This is me today. I needed this today. Yesterday was my "rest day" from working out since we have church, and there's just not enough time that day. So I really had to stay in my budget. I wanted something sweet last night SO bad! I resisted. I had water. And was sad about cake or cookies or something with sugar and substance. I woke up this morning starving! We were running behind, and I briefly thought of just grabbing something on the way. I packed my breakfast and my lunch (and forgot my water bottle at home! - thankful for co-worker that brings a ton of water every day) and on the way to work, while running behind since I did the school drop this morning, I wanted a sandwich from Dunkin Donuts. It's one that will fit if I half it and share with someone. I was in the wrong lane and couldn't get over. I prayed that God would block me from getting over if I shouldn't go. I was blocked. I arrived at work and told God that if I weighed myself and I had lost anymore (any tiny bit) that I would stop feeling sorry for myself and just get on with my day and know that I was doing what I was supposed to. I was down almost another pound. I think today will still be a bit of a struggle, but I know I've stayed the course and I can deal with that.
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