PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

What is true of the elders and of the co-workers is also true of every member of the church. Even in our fellowship we should be on the alert to sow unto the Spirit and not unto the flesh. We should not love others in the flesh, but love them in the Spirit. If we love others according to the flesh, we shall reap corruption, the issue of our fleshly love. But if we love others in the Spirit, we shall reap eternal life. In 5:25 Paul speaks of walking by the Spirit, and in 6:8, of sowing unto the Spirit. Actually, to walk by the Spirit is to sow unto the Spirit. Whenever we walk by the Spirit, we sow unto the Spirit. Sowing unto the Spirit, we eventually reap life eternal.

In the church life there are a number of elderly brothers and sisters who have been sowing unto the Spirit throughout the years. Now they are reaping eternal life. Others, however, have brought corruption to themselves and to others by sowing unto the flesh. When they were participating in the church life, they sowed to the flesh. That kind of sowing damaged their church life. As a result, some have turned away from enjoying the Lord in the church and turned to the world. They claim to be liberated. Yes, they have been liberated from the restriction of the Spirit to the indulgence of the flesh. This is the reaping of corruption.

The fact that we may sow either to the flesh or to the Spirit and thereby reap either corruption or eternal life should encourage us to be careful in what we say and do. Let us realize that everything in our daily living is a sowing either to the flesh or to the Spirit.

In 6:9 Paul goes on to say, "And let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we shall reap if we do not faint."

According to the context, "doing good" in verse 9 is sowing to the Spirit. Paul's use of the word reap in this verse connects it with the foregoing verse about sowing. We should not lose heart in doing good, in sowing unto the Spirit. Sowing to the flesh usually produces a quicker result than sowing to the Spirit. A higher form of life often grows more slowly than a lower form. In the same principle, what we sow unto the Spirit will usually grow more slowly than what we sow unto the flesh. This is the reason that Paul encourages us not to lose heart in sowing unto the Spirit. A brother who is an elder should not say, "I have been in this city for years sowing unto the Spirit. What do I have to show for my labor? I don't see any result." Remember Paul's word that in due time we shall reap, if we do not faint. In working for the Lord, in ministering the Word to the children of God, and in caring for the churches, we should not expect that what we sow unto the Spirit will grow quickly. Like farmers, we need to be patient. Eventually, in due time, we shall reap. The more precious are the things sown, the longer it will take for them to grow. While they are growing, let us be patient and not lose heart.

Life-Study of Galatians, Message #29, pp. 257-261; Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)

It is very important to understand what Paul means by sowing. Because of his human experience and what he had learned and because of the revelation he received from God, Paul had a thorough understanding of human life.

His use of the word sow in 6:8 points to the true meaning of human life. According to Paul's view, human life is a process of sowing. Day by day, we are sowing. We sow by what we say and do and by what we are....

Do you realize that you are sowing all day long? You sow when you are happy and when you are sad, when you are calm and when you are angry, when you are praising the Lord and when you are complaining. Whenever you gossip or criticize someone, you are sowing. When you sing you sow, and when you scold your children you also sow. The human life is a life of sowing, a life of putting forth things that grow and produce a harvest.

People sow whether they realize it or not and whether they intend to sow or not. You may have no intention for a certain negative thing to grow and produce a disastrous harvest. But as long as you sow, a harvest will result. Unsaved people do not realize that their life of sowing will eventually cause them to reap death and the lake of fire. No matter what your intention may be, as long as you sow, you will reap, and you will reap what you sow. We should not be surprised that we reap a certain thing, for that kind of reaping comes from that particular kind of sowing. A person should not be surprised if he sows soybeans and then reaps soybeans instead of corn. As long as he sows soybeans, he should not expect to reap corn or any crop other than soybeans. We need to be impressed with the serious fact that what we sow will return to us.

Life-Study of Galatians, Message #35, pp. 311-312; Witness Lee, published by Living Stream Ministry 1984.)