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TAKING THE SPIRIT AS OUR GOAL

Scripture Reading: Gal. 6:7-10

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."