And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matthew 16:19 (NKJV)
When you read today’s verse, what do you think Jesus meant by it? Was he saying that every bad thing that happens to us is our own fault?
So… if you lose a loved one, it’s because you either loosed something you shouldn’t have or you failed to bind something you should have? Is that what Jesus is saying?
We have to be careful here. We live in a fallen world, and much is out of our control. And God does not bring hurt or heartache into our lives. Sometimes stuff just happens. But in the midst of all the danger, sickness, misunderstandings, anger, judgmental attitudes, greed, and all that goes on in this world, you have choices you can make. And these choices help to frame your future.
For one, Galatians 6:7 says that you reap what you sow. In other words, you have the opportunity to influence what you will eventually harvest in your life, based on the beliefs you plant into your heart today.
Getting good things planted into your heart takes work, but it’s worth every bit of effort. When I was young and I had to plant and weed the garden, I hated it. But when it came time to eat carrots and snap peas straight out of the garden, I loved that part! I didn’t enjoy doing the work to get me there, and that’s like a lot of us today.
We need to discipline ourselves to read the Bible, go to church and spend time with God. When we do, the harvest is well worth it!