Luke 8:5

Remember… Some of us have grown greatly while others among us have grown little. Cp. Matt. 13:8 Let it be clearly known – whether you grew little or great this year, the Lord still saves both! Rejoice in the Lord that you belong to Him… and live till you die in Him.

Reaping what you sow Galatians 6:7-8

The law of sowing and reaping What you are sowing….you will reap. You sow the fleshly things… you reap things of the flesh. You sow spiritual things… you reap things of the spirit. You sow love… well, you get the idea. 

Seems easy, so why isn’t it? It’s hard to sow love while we sow other things contrary to love. cp. Rom. 7:21-23 We want others to take the first step at making things right. cp. Matt. 5:23-24 We give up easily if others don’t meet our expectations or we don’t see the fruit of our labor… in our expected timeframe.

Controlling how you sow love

Things you control Who you love (selective or all inclusive). Lk. 10:27ff; Jn. 3:16 How you “love” (and, how you react to others). Matt. 5:38-42 Ultimately, what you think (regarding others). cp. Phil. 4:8-9

God gives the increase 1 Cor. 3:5-6

Things out of our control We often want to control the outcome of situations/circumstances based upon what we – and others – do. Others are sowing… and may sow things of the flesh. Gal. 5:19ff Ultimate reality: God is in control. Matt. 6:25-34

We sow… and we wait on the Lord for the results Our overall desire is to walk with God, but we don’t always make the right choices along the way. Rom. 7:21-23 Our sovereign God will make the right judgment in the end. Rom. 7:24-25 God’s promise: we sow love, we’ll ultimately reap the fruit of love. cp. 1 Cor. 15:35-38