Dear Christian friends:

Here we see a beautiful tomato. Last May I planted eight plants. After three months I began to pick them. About 200. A good lesson in that for us. In our text St. Paul compares our Christian life with planting and reaping. Deeds are like plants. If you listen to your sinful heart and do the selfish, greedy things it wants you to do it will earn you trouble and destruction. But if you listen, to the Holy Spirit and do His will, do God's will, love and help others, you will earn God's blessings and eternal life.

Paul says, "Don't deceive yourselves; no one makes a fool of God. (verse 7) We can easily deceive ourselves and other people, make them think we are Christians, but really in our hearts we are not Christians. We can deceive ourselves and others, but we cannot deceive and fool God. He knows if we really love Him or not. We can't hide that from God. So, lets do plant for the Holy Spirit then we will earn and reap everlasting life.


Paul says in Galatians 5:25, "Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives." The Holy Spirit before led us to believe in Jesus Christ and accept Him for our Savior. He helped us understand our sins and confess them humbly to God.

He helped us to believe that God loves us anyway and sent His Son to die on the cross for us. The Holy Spirit gave us life, faith, hope and joy in Jesus.

So, Paul says, He who gave us life first, we should now let control our lives. We should now do the good works the Holy Spirit wants us to do; not bad works our proud and vain hearts want. Paul says in verse 26, "Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."

If the Holy Spirit rules us and leads us we will be humble, and not think ourselves better than others. We will think others better than ourselves. If another member has a better job or better house, we will not feel jealous of him. We will be happy with him and congratulate him.

Then Paul says in Galatians 6:1, "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted." So if the Holy Spirit of Jesus leads you, you will be kind and help someone who is caught in wrong doing. You will not laugh at him or gossip about him.

Another way we plant for God in Galatians 6:2, Paul says, Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." God gives His people various burdens, or troubles; sickness, losses, accidents, fire or flood. If we can help our brother or sister we should gladly do it. Don't be proud and say, "His own fault; let him suffer now!" Perhaps it was his own fault, but we should still love him and help him.

Often we ourselves get into trouble because of our wrong-doing or sin, still Jesus, loves us and forgives us. Paul says, "obey the law of Christ." What is the law of Christ? (love God, and love your neighbor as yourself)

Another way to plant for God, Paul says, is to think honestly about ourselves. Don't have a false idea about ourselves, as people do who are proud and listen to their sinful heart. (verse 3) "If someone thinks he is something, when he is really nothing, he is only deceiving himself. Each one should judge his own conduct for himself. If it is good, then he can be proud of what he himself has done, without comparing his work with that someone else has done. For everyone has to carry his own load.

Often people compare themselves with others, and if they are better than someone else, they think they are good. Or they are looking down on others to make themselves appear good. That is not how the Holy Spirit leads. If the Holy Spirit leads us we will judge ourselves and compare ourselves with God's law. (Use example of giving for church)

This leads to another way we can plant for God by supporting our church and pastor. Paul says in verse six, "Nevertheless, the one who receives instruction in the word should share all good things with their instructor." If we do what the Holy Spirit wants we will gladly support those who teach us and preach God's Word to us. St. Paul says in another letter, "In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel." (1 Corinthians 9:14)

But if someone listens to his sinful heart, he will want to keep all his money for himself and refuse to help support his pastor and church.

God gives us strong encouragement to plant for God. Paul says in verse nine, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." What is the wonderful harvest? In verse eight Paul says, "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."

When I planted my eight tomato plants last May, I had faith that God would bless those plants and my work. I must wait three months before the harvest. It's a lot of work: must give water, deal with bugs, must dust; grow, grow, must tie up, weeds, must hoe and rake! Sometimes I feel like giving up. But I do not give up. Now I reap and gather much wonderful fruit.

Same, for us Christians. Now is the time of planting and doing, much work, troubles, problems, some people persecute us because we listen to God's Spirit and do His will. Maybe we get tired and feel like giving up. Paul says no! If we give up now we will lose that wonderful harvest God intends to give us. Foolish to give up. Much better to continue faith and hope in His Word and promises God will bless us one day with a rich harvest.

So, if you fell like giving up! Stop! If you in the past listened to your proud, selfish heart be sorry and ask God to forgive your sins for Jesus sake! And then pray and listen to the Holy Spirit. Do the Holy Spirit's wishes. If you do man's wishes you will reap eternal death. But if you do the Holy Spirit's wishes you will reap eternal life. God help us.

Amen.