Deception That Leads to Drama!
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SCRIPTURE:
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.” Galatians 6:7-10, ESV[1]
OBSERVATIONS:
The Apostle Paul begins the chapter with the strong principle that the church must be a place that restores one who has fallen (6:1-2). There were people in the church who were arrogant enough to view themselves as better than others in which they placed themselves in a superior position (6:3). The tone of the text indicates that these individuals viewed themselves as spiritually superior that it was causing some drama in the Galatian community to the point that Paul’s states that they are deceived. Now the Apostle is dealing with this continued thought of self-deception by presenting that there is deception in which a person does not see how the truth of Scripture applies to themselves. They attempt to mock God by sowing from their own flesh that reaps corruption (6:8). The word corruption means a harvest of decay and destruction in all areas of one’s life and the Spirit gives eternal life. Fatigue gives place to one giving up and not being kind to others. Paul’s encouragement is to not allow weariness to get in the opportunity to do good to others. There is a drama that is created when people no longer see the impact their behavior has on others. What we sow in one season we will reap in another season.
APPLICATION:
The Holy Spirit reminded me how I need to be vigilant during seasons of fatigue. Fatigue can be a trigger to not be treating other people well. Pete Scazzero in a section of his book entitled Why Can’t We Stop?” Writes, “We end our days exhausted from ministry and the endless needs of our churches. And then our “free time” on our day off becomes filled with more demands in an already
overburdened life. We listen to sermons and read books about slowing down and creating margin in our lives. We read about the need to rest and recharge. But we can’t stop. It is like being addicted—only it is not to drugs or alcohol but to the ministry. Our bodies physiologically cannot seem to get off adrenaline in order to stop. We feel indispensable. So much will fall apart if we stop. So, we just keep going. Who has time to enjoy Jesus, enjoy our spouses, enjoy our children, enjoy life! There is simply too much work for God to be done. Do we really want our people to follow us as we follow Christ? It is a hidden tragedy with far-reaching consequences.[2] We are not Human -Doings we are Human- Beings! The human condition in the flesh is that we hurt those closest to us and so Paul’s final exhortation of doing good to those in the church is a reminder that we can lose sight of how we are treating those close to us. Has our familiarity with people subtly put us in a place that we are no longer living in healthy boundaries with them. Self- Deception will always give birth to drama. Some people are on the treadmill of drama, and they live going from one crisis to another. They never practice self-reflection to the place of viewing that in every circumstance they are the one’s contributing to the drama. The Holy Spirit really has reminded me that we cannot sow and harvest in the same season. The question must be asked: What is spiritual self-deception? Dallas Willard at conference gave this answer: “Self-deception is a major part of what defeats spiritual formation in Christ. In self-deception the individual or group refuses to acknowledge factors in their life of which they are dimly conscious, or even know to be the case, but are unprepared to deal with: to openly admit and take steps to change.” The Apostle Paul is making it clear that self-deception can allow the flesh to blind us that we begin operate in the flesh completely justifying our thinking and behavior. In one season you sow and there can be challenges but if One can continue to walk in the Spirit and offer affirmation and encouragement to others in another season there is a harvest. I am reminded that the journey is just as important as the destination. In every season I am reliant of God’s Word and Spirit to strengthen me to love well during seasons of fatigue. Jesus, may I honor you in this season never giving up on loving others well in every sphere of my life. Especially those in the Church.
PRAYER:
“Jesus, I pray that every day I take the time to pay attention to you. May I contribute to peace and not drama. May I always check in with my heart to see that it is aligned well with your heart knowing that my human frailty is ever present and that I am dependent on you to be and do what you have desired for me to be in this season. Everything I do flows out of my relationship with You. I am nothing without you! I thank you for the grace that sustains me … even now. I pray this in Jesus Name, Amen!”
Footnotes:
[1] Hebrew - Greek Key Word Study Bible English Standard Version, ed. ThD. and General Editor Spiros Zodhiares, ESV edition Warren Baker, D.R.E. (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996 and 2013 by AMG International Inc.). p 1353.
[2] Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: it's impossible to be Spiritually Mature, while remaining Emotionally Immature (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2014, 2017).
Resources:
Hebrew - Greek Key Word Study Bible English Standard Version. Edited by ThD. and General Editor Spiros Zodhiares, ESV edition Warren Baker, D.R.E. Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 1984, 1990, 1991, 1996 and 2013 by AMG International Inc.
Scazzero, Peter. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It's Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2014, 2017.