Sow to the Spirit

As we finish the first month of 2025, the rest of the year is already beginning to take shape for many of us.  Did you make any resolutions over the new year?  As I've mentioned before, I don't really make New Year's resolutions.  However, I think it's good to be intentional about the things we would like to change.  Eating better, working out, being more patient, calling our mom's more, are some common things people want to change.  How have these things been going for you? 

January is obviously important for establishing new rhythms and routines.  It sets the stage for the new year because we're creatures of habit.  I read somewhere that by February, 80% of all new year's resolutions have gone by the wayside.  Obviously, the changes hoped-for never took root.  It made me think, what habits and routines am I developing (as I sit here on the sofa watching Netflix and eating potato chips)?  And are they good for me spiritually or not?  

Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows."  The principle of sowing and reaping is common to many areas in life.  We know that the things we sow into are the things that will naturally grow in our lives.  That means if we put time and effort into our relationship with God, we will experience Him in deeper, more significant ways.  If we invest time in studying His Word and prayer, we will grow in wisdom and faith.  If we preoccupy ourselves with the pleasures of this world, we will develop selfish, temporal ways of living.  Galatians 6:8 goes on to say, "Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit, will reap eternal life."

So the question is what are we sowing into in 2025?  Are we doing things to please the flesh or the Spirit?  Are we being intentional about satisfying ourselves or seeking God's will for us and pleasing Him?  Even if the new year hasn't started off the way we wanted, God can help us to make a change if we let Him.  From this point on, let us sow generously into the things of God and our relationship with Him, and reap the blessings of eternal life.

Take care,

Pastor Darren