Once upon a time, there was a lovely sheep. She was faithful to make beautiful new lambs every year and pleased her master. As she got older, though, her body needed a rest. Her udder stopped producing enough milk to support life for her new lambs. One year, her lambs actually died of starvation because she made almost no milk for them. At this time, the farmers decided that the sheep's retirement was imminent. She was butchered.
After she was butchered, the farmers sawed off her legs at the knee. There is no meat below the knee, so these were tossed to the dogs--fur, hoof and all. One dog took each of these legs and buried them in the four corners of the back pasture. "Ye be warned, sheep," said the dog, "That if ye not be producing good fruit, the master be takin' yer hide!" Now, each time the sheep go out to graze in the back pasture, they think upon that old sheep and remember the wise warning from their friend, the dog. "I best keep producing good fruits," they say -- and they do.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." -Galations 6:7-10
Aside from the talking animals, this is a true enough story. Those who are not redeemed are much like a sheep's body. They will one day wear out and be useless. However, those who are living their life in the Spirit of the Living God will inevitably be producing great fruit--even in their death. Those who have gone before me are living proverbs. Some people gave their all to something eternal and labored for the Kingdom. These are the people I want to be like. There are others, though, who worked for something carnal, produced only things carnal, and the only eternal good they did was show more wary people what not to do. They are like the four legs of the sheep buried in the four corners of the pasture--warning those who are more saavy to take heed lest they end up as chew toys.
Live for more than the next lamb you can pop out to please your master. These things, too, shall pass and then what??? Be fruitful for your Lord. Your value is far above rubies (Proverbs 31:10). Sow in the Spirit, reap in the Spirit, live in the Spirit! There is no way to live a carnal life, horizontally performed for the pleasure of other people and be serving God at the same time. Choose wisely!
"This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life!" -Deuteronomy 30:19-20
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