“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”–Gal 6:7 

People have loose notions about sin. They think they can go on through life in disobedience of God’s commands, and defiance of all moral laws–and then, by a single act of penitence, in a moment, have all the consequences of their sinning wiped out, all the effects in their own nature of lifelong evil habits reversed, and their character changed into saintly beauty and fitness for the kingdom of heaven.

But the Bible does not teach this. Those who choose sin for their way in life–must eat sin’s fruit. The fruit of trees drops off—but sin’s fruits stay in the life and become part of it. One may sow common seeds, and others gather and eat the harvest; but the sinner must gather and eat the fruit of his own sowing.

We are not through with our life–as we live it. Every act, every word, every thought, every choice, is a seed which we drop. We go on carelessly, never dreaming that we shall ever again see our deeds. Then some day, we come upon an ugly plant growing somewhere, and we ask, “What is this?” Comes the answer, “I am one of your plants. You dropped the seed which grew into me.” Our lives are the little garden plots, in which it is our privilege to drop seeds. We shall have to eat the fruits of the seeds of which we are planting these days.–J. R. Miller

“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.”–Eph 6:10

Life is a struggle and sometimes we get tired of trying to survive. We would rather give up than go on. We want relief so bad we feel like surrendering. Not finding relief, we feel like curling up in a fetal position, with our face to the wall, sucking our thumb. But God forbids us to give up. He commands us to be strong, to endure, and to stay in the fight. Not only does the Lord exhort us to be strong, He enables us to do so.

J. R. Miller said, “Strength is commended in all the Bible as a duty. We are never exhorted to be weak. God is very patient with weakness, but He would have it brought to Him, and then it becomes strength.

Paul exhorts us here to be strong in the Lord. Life is not easy for us. All its best things have to be won in struggle. Only he that overcometh can receive the reward.

It is a comfort to us to know that He in whose name we are to be strong is the Mighty One. He overcame the world, and thus is able to help us in all our battles. No one ever can be defeated who has Christ for his Friend and Helper.

Those who would enter the battle must put on the whole armor of God. They must not only fight, but must also stand in defense when assailed – and oftentimes it is harder to stand than to fight. If we would be strong we must be true and must keep right with God.

Apart from Christ we can do nothing; in Christ we can do all things.”

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”–Galatians 6:2

Here is an illustration recently posted by Jack Graham, that many have used for several years— I’ve been using for more than 40 years. It seems that the story is repeated with slight variations, so I cannot vouch for its accuracy. But, even though I cannot prove it is true, I can say that it makes a very helpful point that we need to consider—we need one another.

Many years ago in the Midwest, a young boy wandered off from his house and into a huge wheat field. It was getting late and the temperature was dropping, so the parents began to search frantically for the little boy. Finally after a few hours of looking, they called the police.

The word got out, and all the people from miles around came together to look for that little boy. After a few hours of that, they got the idea to join hands and comb the field in one big line. And in one far corner of the field where no one had looked, they found the boy’s lifeless body. It was so tragic. The father, being interviewed by the local newspaper a few days later, was quoted as saying, “If we’d only joined hands sooner, perhaps we could’ve saved my son.”

The tragic truth is that many people today are suffering and dying on their own because they haven’t joined hands with other people in the faith. They’re running around frantically trying to solve their own problems and it hasn’t occurred to them that they need other people to help!

Don’t try to do life alone. There are no ‘Lone Rangers’ of the Christian faith. Walk hand-in-hand with other people in community and you’ll be equipped to take on any crisis that comes your way.

DON’T TRY TO LIVE LIFE ALONE. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH GODLY MEN AND WOMEN WHO WILL BE THERE FOR YOU WHEN HARD TIMES HIT

This world is a difficult and dangerous place to live. We have enemies on every side and need help from all directions, and we find it in God. Those who have a personal relationship with Christ are assured that He provides what we need. Our text is just one of many examples of the fact that God cares for His own. A fact that should give us great courage and comfort.