PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

The word sowing is actually equal to living. To be careful in our sowing is to be watchful concerning our living. I repeat, sowing causes a certain result. This was the reason Paul warned us to be careful of our sowing.

If we sow unto the flesh, we shall of the flesh reap corruption, but if we sow unto the Spirit, we shall reap of the Spirit eternal life. In 6:8 flesh stands in contrast to the Spirit, and corruption in contrast to eternal life. There are only these two kinds of sowing and two kinds of reaping. There is no neutrality, no third kind of reaping. No doubt, corruption includes death. Sowing unto the flesh will always produce a harvest of corruption, whereas sowing unto the Spirit will always produce a harvest of life eternal.

TAKING THE SPIRIT AS OUR GOAL

Paul's words strongly imply that we must make a decision with respect to our aim, our goal. Will our aim be the flesh, or will it be the Spirit? In 6:8 Paul speaks of sowing unto the flesh and unto the Spirit. The Greek preposition rendered unto means "with a view to" or "resulting in." To sow unto the flesh means to sow with a view to accomplishing the purpose of the flesh. This is to have the flesh as the goal. But to sow unto the spirit means to sow with a view to accomplishing the purpose of the Spirit. This is to have the Spirit as our goal. The Spirit should be not only our life and walk, but also the goal of our living. There is no neutral ground between the flesh and the Spirit. Our goal is either one or the other. It cannot be anything else.

In different ways, both the flesh and the Spirit are all-inclusive. The flesh includes everything apart from the Spirit. Gossiping, criticizing, shopping in a worldly way, reading the newspaper apart from the control of the Spirit—all these are aspects of the flesh. Do you intend to take the flesh as your goal? What is the goal of your life on earth? I hope that you all will be able to say that your goal is the all-inclusive Spirit. Sowing unto the Spirit includes calling on the Lord, praying, ministering Christ to others, and fellowshipping in life that others may be edified. We also sow unto the Spirit when we use our money for the Lord's purpose.…If the Spirit is our goal, then everything in our daily life will be with a view to this goal.

Paul's burden in the book of Galatians was to reveal Christ in such a way that He would be not only the focal point of God's economy, but also the focal point of our daily walk. God has revealed Christ into us, and now we need to live Him. This is the revelation presented in the first two chapters. As we have seen, Paul goes on to point out how we can experience such a Christ. If we would experience Him, we must have the Spirit as our life. This requires that we have a divine birth. Then we should walk by the Spirit and take the Spirit as our goal. We are not aimless people who wander about without a goal. We have a clear, definite aim—the Spirit. If the Spirit is our goal, everything in our daily life will become meaningful. The way we dress, how we arrange things in our room, where we go, even what we eat--all will be a sowing unto the Spirit. When the Spirit is our goal, we live on earth with a view to this goal. However, if we let the flesh be our goal, we shall eventually reap corruption. This corruption may affect not only us, but also our family and even our descendants. In His grace, the Lord wants to help us take the Spirit as our goal. The way we talk to others, the way we spend our money, and every aspect of our living should be with a view to this goal….

…I have the assurance that if we live unto the Spirit by sowing unto the Spirit, we shall reap a harvest of eternal life. This will be a great benefit to ourselves, our families, the saints around us, and even all the churches on earth.

Witness Lee, Life-Study of Galatians, Message Thirty-Five, pp. 309-315

APPLICATION

1. Why does brother Lee say that Paul's use of the word sow in Galatians 6:8 points to the true meaning of human life?

2. Consider some of the ways that you can put into practice Paul's encouragement to sow unto the Spirit; will our aim be the flesh, or will it be the Spirit?

3. Perhaps we should pray daily with the Psalmist: "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer"—Psalms 19:14.