“Do not be deceived, God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”- Galatians 6:7
John Ortberg emphatically begins Chapter 7 (“The Soul Needs a Keeper”) of Soul Keeping with the following statement: “I and no one else am responsible for the condition of my soul.”
Perhaps, Pastor Ortberg notes, we operate on the mistaken, unspoken assumption that we will be filled internally with life, peace, and joy if our external world is perfect. Dallas Willard, however, stresses that the main thing we give to others and to God is the person we become:
“You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.”
If our soul is unhealthy, we can’t help anyone. Our soul is unhealthy when we live in denial about the law of consequences. Denial is damaging to the soul. Furthermore, keeping our soul healthy is no one else’s job but ours. We are the keeper our soul needs.
As Paul writes in Galatians, the law of consequences does apply to us. It’s not simply a warning we give to other people. The area that has been assigned to our care, the soul, is the primary area where we reap what we sow.
Today’s question: In the wake of your ministry downsizing or vocation loss, what have you primarily been sowing? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Soul-talk”
