“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” (Galations 6:7)
Chris thought he could get away with his favorite passion. He loved oreo cookie blizzards from Dairy Queen. At first, nobody could tell that he ate one every day using his lunch money. But after a few weeks passed, everyone began to notice that Chris was gaining weight.
Soon, he had gained over fifteen pounds. It seemed so harmless, eating just one a day. But over a period of time, Chris really grew to be amazingly fat. So fat, he needed to buy new clothes and a new hat.
Sowing and reaping. What we sow now, we reap later. Harvest doesn’t happen right away, but eventually it comes. If we sow to oreo cookie blizzards, we won’t notice a problem the first few days. But don’t be deceived. After time passes, the blizzards will give a harvest of pounds. And that’s not just true with blizzards! You can even do it with tuna and oatmeal!
If we sow hate, the harvest will be others hating us. If we sow love, we’ll harvest love. If we sow immoral, impure behavior, we grieve the Holy Spirit and find ourselves in a world of hurt. If we sow mercy, we obtain a harvest of forgiveness.
So, what kind of consequences are you sowing into your life? Are you sowing good seed? Or are you sowing strife? Are you sowing for a harvest of righteousness? Or are you poisoning your garden with pettiness?
R.I.O.T. ACT
Sow good seed and God will meet your every need. (Mark 4:20)
Want the truth and holiness in your life? Sow God’s Word—live life right!
Excerpt permission granted by Albury Publishing
Carman Domenic Licciardello is an enigma in Christian music, often described as part evangelist, part Vegas Showman. His concerts were more like a rock and roll Billy Graham Crusade than a Christian music event. After all the singing, dancing, clapping, and preaching, crowds of people would stream down to the counseling area to accept Christ-many times as many as 5,000 in an evening.
Admission was usually free; a simple offering was taken, similar to 30,000 churches on Sunday mornings. And he filled the largest stadiums the world over. Carman held the record for the largest Christian concert ever in Dallas, Texas. But it even goes beyond that. Take the Mega Stadium acts that played the famed landmark such as Pink Floyd, U 2, Madonna, The Jackson Five, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks, and even Metallic. As the newspapers noted, you'll see that the one-act that drew the highest attendance in Texas Stadium was Carman, with 71,132.
Carman (1956-2021) was a popular contemporary Christian singer and songwriter.
Born Carman Licciardello, he began recording under his first name and released his debut album in 1980. Carman began charting contemporary Christian hits in 1984 with "Sunday's on the Way," reaching No. 1 with "The Champion" (1986) and "Radically Saved" (1988). His other hit songs include "Lord of All," "Jesus Is the Light," and "Satan, Bite the Dust!" Carman reportedly holds the world record for the largest audience at a Christian concert. His popularity was at its height in the 1980s and early '90s, but he continued releasing albums for years, including his most recent release, 2014's "No Plan B." In 2018, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.