“So I said to myself,
“Self, you have been given many good things,
things that will last for many years to come.
Enjoy yourself now. Eat, drink, and be merry!””

Planting Little Seeds

We have all heard that we reap what we sow. However, it seems as though some of us believe we should be living in a kind of Heaven on earth, a place where we can get installments of Heaven before Judgment Day – when Jesus returns. For Christians who keep this belief, a mindset of instant or near-instant gratification and reward develops. But this perspective is a perversion of an End Times guarantee – we will reap what we sow. This leads them down a very difficult path where they judge every circumstance of their current lives (and others) by what they did or did not do a few days before. In it’s purest form, this mindset is called worldliness – lusting after the things this world has to offer. The law of reaping and sowing is consistently used as a means to justify living for the enjoyment that money can bring. I’m not knocking financial stability or suggesting we should be taking vows of poverty. I’m talking about the desire to get rich in this life, the belief that God wants us to be wealthy right now. The promise that each of us will be rewarded or punished for eternity according to our works has been reduced to a veil for the face of materialism. The belief that we can or should have most of our inheritance now is directly responsible for the justification of worldliness and compromise.

For those who are on the fence when it comes to Christianity – rather, let’s say willing to compromise living a lifestyle of holiness and purity for God’s glory, the law of reaping and sowing takes an equally dangerous detour. With the same instant gratification mindset as above, a person willing to compromise abstinence outside of marriage may believe that the law of reaping and sowing only applies to the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy or an STD. This mindset gives a person the grace to determine their morals based solely on what they can see – based on whether they are hurting anyone. The rewards of the longsuffering faithful children of God have been reduced to the pleasures of this world. This “inheritance now” belief is a polite Christianese way to excuse and encourage greed and lust – pride.

This insatiable desire for Heaven on earth prior to Judgment Day can cause a Christian to overturn the Word of God and deny Jesus’ words with their lives while proclaiming a few choice words of His with their lips. Though the doctrines that encourage us to “step into” Heaven on earth or teach us to modernize the moral elements of scripture are typically radically different or opposed to one another in many areas, they fall in line with each other in this one heretical desire-driven belief: we can have the best of both worlds. Unfortunately for the hearer, the eternal weight of the law of reaping and sowing loses its validity. May we not forget Jesus’ clear and simple warning in Luke 12, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” Patience, perseverance, and faith are set up high on a shelf with other, dusty nostalgia when you and I set our focus on today, on now.

Eat! Drink! God Does Not See.

The law of reaping and sowing has very clear, binding eschatological obligations. Some choices we make have consequences now – sure (unplanned pregnancies, etc). No argument there. The End, however, is simply… more important. The patience factor is the problem. The inability to envision a tiny seed’s final state is an issue called the pride of life. The unwillingness to accept that every seed we plant will grow into something is an issue called arrogance. As believers, we must set our hearts and minds on the Great Day of the Lord, the day we receive our inheritance, the day God’s promise to us – salvation – is fulfilled. When we allow our hearts and minds to circle above this world’s offerings, eternal friendship with God begins to suffer our pride and arrogance. When pride and arrogance have had their way, we will eventually say, “God does not see. I will do as I please.”

If we look at the rich man in the Luke 12 parable, we don’t see what we might expect. He wasn’t reprimanded for ripping off his employees. He wasn’t punished for abusing slaves. Jesus made it a point to only show this one particular offense about the rich man. Let’s look at the context. The parable of the rich man is preceded by a request from a real man. The real man asked Jesus to talk to his brother and tell him to divide their inheritance. After Jesus warns the man about covetousness, He gives the parable about the rich man. The rich man’s offense is noted in verse 19. The rich man says to himself, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” But God calls the man a fool, tells him his soul is required of him that night, and asks him what he thinks will happen to all his things. Then Jesus warns that those who are like the rich man, those who concern themselves with treasures here are fools. We are called to be “rich toward God”. Again, note the rich man’s offense. It is not simply that he was wealthy. The problem Jesus highlights is that the rich man found his reward, his rest, his fill, his joy – and it had nothing to do with righteousness before God. Jesus shows the rich man concerning himself with today, with NOW. Here, we have a perfect picture of so-called Heaven on earth before The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord. It’s called worldliness and it steals our souls from God’s presence forever.

The Hideous Nature of Riches

Will we so easily forget what Holy Spirit said through John? Will we be so quick to respectfully excuse away His clear and simple warning, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.” Will we really disregard James’ stark warning about the nature of wealth in this world? The quickest, easiest way for you and I to get rich is to oppress someone who is already poor. Ever heard of outsourcing to 2nd and 3rd world countries? Do you own stocks? Where do those corporations do business? Who stitched the clothes you’re wearing? Who manufactured the phone you use? James says, “Come now, you rich. Weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.” To the rest of he says, “Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” – James 5 (my emphasis). Will we really excuse away the wickedness in seeking riches now – today – and truly hope to convince ourselves that James was only speaking to the heathen rich? Since when did the apostles write their letters to heathens?

Do we want everlasting friendship with God? Are we willing to choose a lifestyle of holiness for decades? In other words, do we truly love God? Allow the eternal implications of reaping and sowing to weigh on you. Whether you’re by the fence or nowhere near it, I urge you to remember and encourage us all who also believe that we will be judged according to our works – our faith – not just by what we believe. It is easy to forget eternity in this world. Let’s encourage each other in a better hope, a lasting hope. Let’s help each other remain unstained by this world.

Thank You Holy Spirit for Your constant help.

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