Paul’s words strongly imply that we must make a decision with respect to our aim, our goal. Will our aim be the flesh, or will it be the Spirit? In 6:8 Paul speaks of sowing unto the flesh and unto the Spirit. The Greek preposition rendered unto means “with a view to” or “resulting in.” To sow unto the flesh means to sow with a view to accomplishing the purpose of the flesh. This is to have the flesh as the goal. But to sow unto the spirit means to sow with a view to accomplishing the purpose of the Spirit. This is to have the Spirit as our goal. The Spirit should be not only our life and walk, but also the goal of our living. There is no neutral ground between the flesh and the Spirit. Our goal is either one or the other. It cannot be anything else.
In different ways, both the flesh and the Spirit are all-inclusive. The flesh includes everything apart from the Spirit. Gossiping, criticizing, shopping in a worldly way, reading the newspaper apart from the control of the Spirit—all these are aspects of the flesh. Do you intend to take the flesh as your goal? What is the goal of your life on earth? I hope that you all will be able to say that your goal is the all-inclusive Spirit. Sowing unto the Spirit includes calling on the Lord, praying, ministering Christ to others, and fellowshipping in life that others may be edified. We also sow unto the Spirit when we use our money for the Lord’s purpose. If we sow unto the Spirit, taking the Spirit as our goal, we shall not go shopping in a worldly way. Instead, our shopping will be governed by the fact that we have chosen to take the Spirit as our goal. If the Spirit is our goal, then everything in our daily life will be with a view to this goal.
Paul’s burden in the book of Galatians was to reveal Christ in such a way that He would be not only the focal point of God’s economy, but also the focal point of our daily walk. God has revealed Christ into us, and now we need to live Him. This is the revelation presented in the first two chapters. As we have seen, Paul goes on to point out how we can experience such a Christ. If we would experience Him, we must have the Spirit as our life. This requires that we have a divine birth. Then we should walk by the Spirit and take the Spirit as our goal. We are not aimless people who wander about without a goal. We have a clear, definite aim—the Spirit. If the Spirit is our goal, everything in our daily life will become meaningful. The way we dress, how we arrange things in our room, where we go, even what we eat—all will be a sowing unto the Spirit. When the Spirit is our goal, we live on earth with a view to this goal. However, if we let the flesh be our goal, we shall eventually reap corruption. This corruption may affect not only us, but also our family and even our descendants. In His grace, the Lord wants to help us take the Spirit as our goal. The way we talk to others, the way we spend our money, and every aspect of our living should be with a view to this goal.
Young people, I encourage you to make up your mind to take the Spirit as your goal. I would even suggest that you make a vow to the Lord concerning this. You may want to say, “Lord, I call heaven and earth to witness that I make a vow to take the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit as my goal. I want whatever I say and do to be toward this goal. Lord, I don’t want to sow anything that will result in corruption for me or others. I want to sow unto the Spirit and reap eternal life. Everything I do, I want to do toward the goal of the Spirit.”
In 6:10 Paul says, “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good toward all men, and especially toward those of the household of the faith.” Paul’s mention of the household of faith immediately after his word about sowing indicates that our sowing affects the household of the faith, which includes all the believers on earth. What you sow today will have an effect on the household of faith. Do not think, for example, that the way you cut your hair is a matter of no significance. In cutting your hair you sow either unto the flesh to reap corruption or unto the Spirit to reap eternal life. Furthermore, your sowing has an effect on the saints and even on the churches. If you sow unto the Spirit, the result will be a supply of life to the churches. If we see this, we shall surely desire to take the Spirit as our goal and live unto this goal. I have the assurance that if we live unto the Spirit by sowing unto the Spirit, we shall reap a harvest of eternal life. This will be a great benefit to ourselves, our families, the saints around us, and even all the churches on earth.
If we receive grace from the Lord to live Christ, we shall sow unto the Spirit and take the Spirit as our goal. The result will be life eternal. Instead of causing corruption, we shall be able to minister the life supply to those with whom we have direct contact. Moreover, because we have been sowing unto the Spirit, even those who contact us only indirectly will receive something of life. There is no need to try deliberately to carry on a work for the Lord. If we live unto the flesh, what we do as a Christian work will not be effective. What counts is not our working, but our sowing.
Every detail of our living is important because it is part of our sowing. If we sow unto the Spirit in all the small parts of our daily living, we shall have a life unto the Spirit. The issue of this kind of life is life eternal. When our goal is the Spirit, we become a supply of life to others.
I say once again that we believers are not aimless. We have a goal, an aim that controls and directs us. Whatever we do, we do with a view toward this goal. In drawing the Epistle to the Galatians to a close, Paul charges us to sow unto the Spirit, to live unto the Spirit, to say and do everything with a view to the Spirit. As sons of God, we need to take the Spirit as our unique and eternal goal. I urge you to take the Spirit as your goal in life that you may become one who supplies life to others. Tell the Lord, “Lord, from this time forth, my goal is the Spirit and only the Spirit. I’m so happy that I have such a goal. My life is meaningful, for I have a goal which directs me and controls me in all things.” The Lord is sounding out the call in His recovery to take the Spirit as our goal and to live unto Him in everything that there may be a harvest of life eternal. How wonderful that we may have such a glorious goal in life!