“Sooner or later, everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” – Robert Louis Stevenson
“Do not be deceived. God will not be made a fool. For a person will reap what he sows…” – Galatians 6:7 NET Bible
“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” – Luke 6:38 NLT
A few years back as I was driving to work on Thanksgiving morning, I thought about how drastically things have changed through the years.
I remember a time when Thanksgiving Day was considered a scared day – a day filled with worship, family, and introspection. Nothing was open. Our culture and society saw the value behind taking a day out of the year to stop and reflect – to see life through the lens of gratitude. It seemed like people and businesses alike saw the deeper meaning behind slowing down and putting life into proper perspective.
Not any longer. People can’t seem to slow down – too busy embracing anything and everything that entertains and distracts. Restaurants need to be open, because after all; who has time to cook? Gas stations need to be operating so everyone has the fuel they need to run everywhere they need to go. Even retail stores have opened up, trying to get a jump and advantage on their competition before Black Friday begins.
Business is too concerned about the “business of business” – making as much money as possible, because God knows, that’s what life is all about! Right?
Are they concerned about their employees getting to spend time with their families on such a sacred day as Thanksgiving? Not really. Do they punish them more aggressively if they miss a scheduled holiday versus a normal day of work missed? Absolutely!
“Be quiet and be thankful you have a job!”, they say, as the profits hit record levels and the pay scale of their hourly employees remains stagnant.
Do you wonder why the American worker is less engaged at work, far less loyal, and severely unmotivated? Is it any wonder more and more Americans are looking to socialism as an answer to corporate greed and the enormous income gaps between those in power and those producing the goods? What happened to stable, moderate corporate profits that allowed companies to invested in their workers – creating a thriving middle class? Did they realize in their greed they were killing the American Dream for millions of people?
One cannot afford to get sick as the hospital bills will put you into bankruptcy, but the insurance companies are thriving! How did attending college become a six-figure proposition within a short, few decades? Who profited by such an unjustified increase?
A young couple today raising a family needs to hold down two full time jobs just to make ends meet – say nothing about saving for college education for their children, investing in their own retirement, or struggling to pay off their own student loans.
Don’t get me wrong. I am far from a socialist! But my point is this: Can you see the seeds that have been sown by Corporate America, the past couple of decades and connect that to what is happening in our country today?
I am afraid that very soon the “banquet of consequences” that Robert Louis Stevenson speaks of above will be plated up and served. Those on the “Board of Directors” may be thinking too short-term – only concerned with their personal bonuses and immediate incentives – not thinking about the longer term effects their decisions will have on a majority of the population, the culture, and society overall.
As I stewed about all of this, I recalled the Bible verse above. It eased my mind to see the injustice of it all through the eyes of a just God. No one, no company, no group, no individual can escape the spiritual principle of sowing and reaping. Anyone who thinks they are getting away with it, pulling the wool over someone’s eyes or sneaking by unnoticed is nothing short of deceived.
The company (or the individual for that matter) who sows greed will reap stinginess and instability – absent of kindness or any form of generosity. Those who unjustly take will have it taken from them in the end.
The spouse who rejects will feel rejection, the harsh person will be dealt with harshly, and the person who sneaks around breaking laws for personal profit will be broken themselves. It too will sneak up on them all at once.
A just and holy God cannot be mocked or made into a fool. How do any of us think we can get away with it? How do we say and do things we shouldn’t and think we will sneak through this life unaffected?
I am not attempting to be judgmental – only sobering. I have personal experience in my own life that reflects the consequences of my poor actions. In many respects, I have lived with the harvest of the harmful seeds I have sown via ignorant and selfish choices.
Will God forgive me… and will He forgive you my friend? Absolutely! But one thing I have learned is that some choices and the consequences that naturally follow are permanent and lasting. God forgives and makes a new way for us, but the consequences that follow poor choices often remain.
But what about those who seem to live their entire life evading the negative consequences of their actions? If they can sneak by, why can’t I?
Realize the seeds sown in this life don’t end here. They begin here. The harvest is inevitable. If justice seems illusive, then it hasn’t fully developed. It cannot be escaped, avoided, or passed over. If you doubt this, read the parable that Jesus told in Luke 16: 19-31 about the rich man and Lazarus. If justice isn’t served in this life, it will be served in the next.
How can a holy, righteous, just God have it turn out any other way my friend? We often think of justice as a character attribute of God – a standard He is obligated to uphold. But if this is the case, then justice confines Him and dictates His behavior. In essence, justice is above God.
God isn’t held to a standard of justice that is above Him and outside of Him. GOD IS JUSTICE! Everyone will be face it someday when they face Him.
“For the Scriptures say, “‘As surely as I live,’ says the LORD, ‘every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will declare allegiance to God.’ Yes, each of us will give a personal account to God.” – Romans 14:11-12 NLT
Very real and very sobering. What then can we do?
Each of us, within our work, our families, and our communities must be constantly aware of the seeds we are sowing – determined to change the harvest that will result.
God is full of grace and mercy – quick to forgive and renew us! Seek that forgiveness every day, making a conscious effort to change behavior – sowing good seeds instead. God will always make a new way for us – even as we face irrevocable consequences– giving us hope for a better future.
Connect with a God that cannot be mocked – a God who IS JUSTICE. Realize that selfish choices and horrible decisions will never be discounted or go unseen. Your life now and in the next world WILL BE IMPACTED by the seeds you sow. The principle of sowing and reaping cannot be escaped or avoided.
Change your world and the lives of others NOW by sowing good seeds that will produce a bountiful harvest. Do you want more love, peace, and joy in your life my friend? If you do, then think about what seeds need to be planted by you to reap this kind of harvest in your life 😊 In the Scripture verse above, Jesus reminds us that we will receive an overflowing harvest if we simply plant a single seed – giving ourselves to others.
Pray for our leaders, our supervisors at work, our local and national government officials and our spiritual teachers and pastors – asking God to speak to their hearts regarding the principle of sowing and reaping and the effects it has on those they lead. Choose leaders who have this wisdom and discernment – making decisions based on future outcomes and not short-term gain.
No one ever gets away with anything. Let that be a sobering reminder to us all.
At the same time, let it bring peace to our hearts as we know that justice will ultimately be served through the ages by a holy, righteous, just God 😊
