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Football season is almost over; I know it's a bummer, but we will survive! I'll never forget the player who intercepted a pass on his ten-yard line and took off for the other team's end zone with a clear path. I remember thinking, there goes the game; nothing will stop this guy. ‌

He got to the goal line, threw the ball down on the ground, did a victory dance, and cartwheeled in the end zone, only to realize that he had thrown the ball down at the one-yard line! The other team recovered the ball. WHAT A LOSER! He didn't finish the job! 

Before we put him on the loser train, we could compare him to us and our spiritual walk through the lens of scripture.

You cannot fool God, so don't make a fool of yourself! You will harvest what you plant. If you follow your selfish desires, you will harvest destruction, but if you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life. Don't get tired of helping others. You will be rewarded when the time is right, if you don't give up. We should help people whenever we can, especially if they are followers of the Lord.

 The Holy Bible: The Contemporary English Version, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), Ga 6:7–10.

 

Satan is a liar, and the father of all lies, and the biggest lie that Satan will ever tell you is this one: "You can sin and get away with it." 

That was the first lie he ever told to the first people who lived, and because of that, this world is in turmoil today. Even though God said to Adam and Eve that they should not eat of the tree of good and evil, or else they would die, the devil came right behind God and said, "You will not surely die." In other words, he was saying, "You can sin and get away with it—you can fool God."

We are living in a generation today that has fooled itself into thinking that you can sin and get away with it, that no one will ever know if you do wrong. In fact, the common way of thinking is that people should do whatever feels right to them! 

But the scripture tells us that we can't fool God. Another translation says it like this: "God is not mocked."The word mock comes from a word whose root meaning is "pig snout." It's like a pig pointing his nose high up in the air like he's perfectly clean and proper, yet he is filthy from rolling in the mud and muck. 

It is an insult to the character of God to think that you can sin and get away with it. Why is it that a person cannot get away with their sin?

Our scripture tells us: "You will harvest what you plant." Sowing and reaping is a common theme in the Bible. The harvest is always a product of the seed. A man always reaps what he sows. If you plant corn, you don't reap strawberries; if you plant beans, you don't reap corn!

The Bible says, "If you follow the Spirit, you will harvest eternal life."

‌You can plant in the field of the flesh or plant in the field of the Spirit. But you will reap what you sow. In fact, reap what you sow; you reap MORE than you sow. 

If a farmer sows a kernel of corn, he doesn't reap another kernel of corn; he reaps a stalk of corn full of ears of corn.

‌Suppose you had a jar of wheat grain. You can take that grain jar and make an excellent loaf of bread. But if you take that same jar, rather than making one loaf of bread, you plant the grain in a field; you will have enough wheat to make a grocery store full of bread!

This scripture reminds us that we have something special. We have the truth of God's word! We can take it for granted and live our lives for ourselves, or we can sow into others with the truth of God's word. 

The scripture tells us not to get tired of helping others. It can be exhausting, but when you pour yourself out, like sowing into a field, you will eventually reap a harvest beyond anything you could have imagined. 

So, where are you today? Are you like the football player who just intercepted the ball and you're running hard for the goal line? Good! Keep running. Don't get distracted by the sin of this world. Remember, God is your biggest fan, and He's watching, so don't think you can fool Him. Keep running hard! You'll get there. 

Are you the person who spiked the ball 1 yard short of the line? It's ok! The game isn't over. It might seem like the other guys will win, but remember, God is on your side. Get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the game. You're forgiven and set free from the past. 

Or are you just plain tired of running? I'm telling you, don't give up; the harvest is coming! I know it takes a long time to watch a seed turn into a plant that produces fruit; hold on to the hope that your seed will reap a harvest thousands of times more than what you've planted. Get into God's Word and renew your strength. You're an essential part of the team. 

Come on, MAN! Get your head in the game. Let's focus on God's plan and WIN!