We got back very late last evening from the drive home from Tampa. What we thought would be a 12-and-a-half-hour trip, plus about an hour for stops, morphed into a 17-hour trip.
The traffic was terrible, I made one bad decision about which way to go at Atlanta, and to top it off, I couldn’t get too far from being able to find a bathroom. I so wanted to get home and sleep in my own bed that we pushed on despite how often I had to stop. I got on the scales this morning and my response was, “Oh, my.” Five days of all the food you could eat, plus ice cream available for 13 hours a day, brought the result that I deserved, but had hoped wouldn’t. How often do we choose to do things that we know what the result will likely be, but hope that somehow the outcome will be different? I am sometimes maligned for how limited my normal pattern of eating is. Surely the four basic food groups are eggs, meat, green beans, and strawberries. I have had a “weak” stomach since I was a child. When I was six I had a stomach ulcer. I started to school, we moved, and our cat died. It was more than a six-year-old could handle. I can’t eat spicy foods. Teresa and the kids will go to a Mexican restaurant when I am out of town, knowing that I will never take them there. I can eat a salad with peppers or onions and be up half the night. There’s a home owned wholesale meat distributor in Cynthiana from which we buy a whole sirloin strip about once a month. After trimming off the fat, we usually end up with steaks that cost less than a Big Mac or a Whopper. When I am adhering to what I know is best for me, a typical day would be just eggs in the morning, maybe some cheese and fruit for lunch, and a steak, green beans, and strawberries for supper. Beyond eating more than I should have eaten on the cruise, I made some bad decisions about what to eat. I had pretty much forsaken cheeseburgers and fries the last couple of years. The cruise had great cheeseburgers and the fries were good, too. I had them every day. They were greasy, but very tasty. At Friday’s sit-down meal, one of the appetizers was frog legs. I hadn’t had frog legs since the old “New Orleans House” went out. I was accustomed to eating fried frog legs; these were maybe broiled. I knew from the first bite that they wouldn’t sit well. They didn’t. Coupled with the greasy burgers and other stuff that I don’t usually eat, it was more than my stomach could handle. Those frog legs jumped in my stomach all the way home and still are this morning. I was glad that Scott Emmons was preaching. I stayed home, not wanting to be embarrassed if a trip to the bathroom wasn’t quick enough. I reaped what I had sown for five days. Twice Paul uses the analogy of reaping what we sow. The most familiar of those two is found in 2 Corinthians 9 where he writes in the context of being generous these words, “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” I have adhered to the principle of reaping and sowing when it comes to giving and generosity since I was 12 years old. I started tithing then when I mowed lawns or shoveled the neighbor’s snow. I have no doubt that the blessings that Teresa and I have received are a direct result of reaping what we have sown. The second use of this sowing and reaping analogy is found in Galatians 6 where Paul writes, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” This second analogy of the Biblical principle of reaping what we sow is seen in most every aspect of life. I sowed to please the flesh on the cruise when it came to what I ate. There were times on the cruise that I sowed to please the Spirit, when I chose to get alone with Him and I reaped the blessing of His Spirit’s Presence. God cannot be mocked. We reap what we sow. We see it in our schools. We see it in our culture. We see it in families. We see it in many relationships. We reap what we sow. Bad decisions will likely turn out the way we know that they will, even though we hope that they won’t. There is a triple lesson to be learned here for me. 1. Continue to live out this Biblical principle of reaping and sowing. 2. Make intentional decisions about some changes I need to make in my lifestyle. Today, I will go back to being on the diet that I know has worked for me. It is an intentional choice that I will make. Maybe in due time I can move from “Oh, my” in the morning to “Oh, yes!” 3. Realize that God can be redemptive in the bad decisions that we have made. The reaping what we have sown has the potential to be affected by the divine grace of God. His grace won’t change the numbers on the scales. There are consequences to the choices we make, not just in terms of eating and weight, but in all of life. When we choose to sin, there are consequences. God can and will forgive the sin, but often He cannot remove the consequences. He can, however, be redemptive in those bad decisions, even the decision to sin. He works in all things to bring about His good. He takes the worst, like the Cross, and turns it into a good far beyond what we could hope for or imagine. He can also help us to make better decisions in our lives so that we will reap His blessings. I will choose to ask Him to help me to do that this week. I don’t need His help to know that I will never again eat broiled frog legs. However, I may need His help when it comes to a greasy cheeseburger. Addendum: I wrote most of this before worship started and then I watched worship this morning with Scott Emmons preaching. I am so thankful for what Scott means to me personally and to our church and so many others. I have wondered about the efficacy of the Lord’s Supper when it comes to those who are watching online. As others were dining at the Lord’s Table, I shared, too, using a bit of bread from the heal of a loaf of bread and some unsweetened decaf tea. It was the best available. As I prayed and took the elements in remembrance of Jesus, the Spirit of Jesus came. I was moved by His Presence. He isn’t limited in when, where, or how He can come to us. Sorry for the long chapter. It’s Sunday and I needed some outlet. I am used to preaching!
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Chuck Cooper
Pastor at Daybreak Community Church Archives
February 2025
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