Oh do I stray. Our media, our society, our country, our world makes it really easy.

When I have a pile of work a mile high, it’s really easy to put it under my desk and turn on Netflix. When I’ve done something wrong, it’s really easy to defend myself, watch out for my “reputation”, and lie. When I am feeling lousy at work it’s really easy to lean on the counter, complain about my job, and leave the shelves for someone else to stock.

When your spouse isn’t showing you the attention and care they promised they always would it’s really easy to find someone who will. When you gossiped behind someone’s back it’s really easy to keep it from that person. And when you spent way too much money it’s easy to shred the receipts and hide the goods.

It’s hard to stop. It’s hard to confess. It’s hard to do the right thing.

What’s wrong…feels so right, and can be justified so easily, and it’s what everyone else is doing. When we go the way that we “feel is right” (typically the easy way out), we go further and further out there.  And we heap trouble on ourselves.

Have you ever told a lie? Did you almost get caught and have to save yourself with another lie? And then did you have to make up another lie to make it all seem plausible? I have a few times and the pressure to keep it all going keeps growing and growing. That’s what Paul is talking about in the beginning of Galatians 6:8…

For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption…

God knows its easy for us to fall and, while we’re down, dig ourselves deeper. So He had Paul continue to write past that verse and show us something encouraging.

...but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:8

When God created us, we were in union with Him. We were close; we didn’t have to hide.

And when we were tempted and gave in? We went running for the bushes. We hid all our blemishes and and tried to disguise ourselves.

What did God do? He called out for us.

Did He know where we were? Of course.

We can’t really hide from our God.
He knows where we are and what we did.

But we still have to come out of the bushes. We still have to reveal ourselves. We still have to confess and start over. When we keep ourselves from doing all of this, we are out of union with God. We are doing something unnatural and against creation.

So where do we go from there? We sow to the Spirit. We bear everything to Christ and abide in him. We stay close! We pray, read what He says, and do it. (Sound familiar? SHEMA?).

And when we are doing this, we can fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). When we are walking openly with Christ, not hiding ourselves, we can gently help others, especially those who are of the household of faith (Galatians 6:10), stop, confess, and do the right thing. We can help to restore people with the God that saved them!

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up (Galatians 6:9).