Jesus' Life Principles

I was not a great science student in school. I do remember that there are laws of science that work all the time. Things like the law of gravity and the fact that the sun always raises in the east and sets in the west. There also spiritual principles that work all the time and that we, as followers of Jesus, need to know and live based on.

Paul lists some of them in Galatians 6:7-10.

Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

The principle is that everyone reaps what he sows.

I hear a lot of people, particularly Christians, who complain about people that they perceive to be ungodly prospering. They want these “ungodly” people to get what they (the critics) think is deserved.

Paul says that God is not mocked. Mock means to treat with contempt or ridicule. Paul is telling us not to worry about people who reject God and live ungodly lifestyles because they will reap what they sow.

If we sow to produce things that are focused on this earthly life, we will reap what this earthly life has to offer but it will end in corruption. The things of this earth are only temporary and will end.

In Matthew 6:19-21, Jesus tells us not to lay up treasures here on earth because they will be eaten up by moths or corrupted by rust or stolen by thieves. We are to lay up treasures in heaven were those things will not hurt or destroy our treasures.

If we sow to the Spirit (Holy Spirit), we will reap eternal life. It is through the Holy Spirit that we have eternal life.

In Romans 8:9 we learn that if we have the Holy Spirit, we belong to God, and if we don’t have the Holy Spirit, we don’t belong to God. It is the Holy Spirit that transforms us into new people who have eternal life.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is sowing to the Spirit and reaping eternal life.

Galatians 6:9

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

The principle is persevering brings a harvest.

The greatest reason for giving up is discouragement. When people get discouraged, they give up and quit and miss the blessing God wants to give them.    

We are to persevere in:

Worshiping Jesus

Serving Jesus

Loving Jesus

Obeying Jesus

Following Jesus

Jesus is greater than any discouragement we will ever face. When we allow the Holy Spirit to give us endurance, Jesus will bless us with a great harvest.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is persevering in following and obeying Jesus.

Galatians 6:10

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

The principle is that we are to do good to others.

The concept of doing good to everyone is to treat others in an upright manner in which we honor them.

We are to treat everyone in that way. We are told to especially treat other followers of Jesus that way.

In John 13:35 Jesus tells us that love for other followers of Jesus will mark us as His followers.

Followers of Jesus come from every ethnic group and every language group and from all segments of every culture. The only thing they have in common is Jesus. If these followers of Jesus, with nothing in common but Jesus, truly love each other, then it shows that they really are followers of Jesus.

Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is loving and treating with honor and respect all people.

Living in relationship with Jesus means that we live by the principles He has established:

Sowing to the Spirit

Persevering in serving Jesus

Treating others with respect

These principles come from Jesus and they work because they are from Him. Jesus is truth and so everything that comes from Him is truth.

Living by the truth brings us a harvest of blessings.

Living by Jesus’ Principles in Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,

                                                      Joe