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Romans 2:6–8 “God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.”

Think

Actions have consequences. That’s not just a biblical idea, it’s a law of life. You plant corn, you don’t harvest strawberries. You skip practice, you don’t start the game. You stay up all night, you crash the next morning. We know this instinctively, but we often live like the rule applies to everyone else more than it applies to us.

Paul takes that principle and makes it eternal. He says that God will repay each person according to what they have done. That’s not just poetic language. It’s personal. God sees. God knows. And God responds in justice. There’s no favoritism, no special treatment, no shortcuts. The fruit we grow is the result of the seeds we sow.

That may sound intimidating at first, but it’s also deeply clarifying. God isn’t random. He doesn’t bless at whim or punish on a mood. His justice is rooted in truth. He knows the whole picture. He understands our motives. He doesn’t just see the result—he sees the root.

Paul lays out two paths. The first is persistence in doing good. This isn’t about perfection. It’s about direction. Those who keep seeking the things of God—glory, honor, and immortality—are not earning salvation. They’re revealing it. Their lives reflect a desire for something eternal. And Paul says that the end of that path is life—real, everlasting, joy-filled life.

But the second path is strikingly different. It’s marked by being self-seeking, rejecting truth, and following evil. That phrase “self-seeking” comes from a Greek word originally used to describe politicians who campaigned for their own gain. In other words, this is a life centered around self-promotion, self-protection, and self-rule. It resists authority, truth, and ultimately God himself.

This contrast is not meant to divide good people from bad people. It’s meant to expose our trajectory. What direction is your life moving toward? What are you consistently choosing when no one’s watching? What are you chasing when comfort and conviction collide?

Imagine your life as a field. Every day you’re planting something. Some days it’s love, patience, generosity, and faithfulness. Other days it’s pride, gossip, laziness, or bitterness. And you don’t always see the harvest right away. The field looks the same day after day. But eventually, something grows. And when it does, you can’t blame the soil. You have to look at the seed.

This is not about living in fear that one bad decision will ruin everything. It’s about living with the awareness that every decision shapes something. God is not keeping a petty list to punish you later. He’s inviting you to live in step with what’s true now. Because what you cultivate today becomes the character you carry tomorrow.

We often think grace means our choices don’t matter. But grace never cancels truth. It completes it. Grace means that even when we have sown the wrong things, God can bring redemption. But grace also teaches us to sow differently. To live with eternity in mind. To persist when it's easier to quit. To seek what matters more than what’s convenient.

The call here isn’t just about morality—it’s about momentum. What kind of life are you moving toward? Paul’s words remind us that our spiritual direction is more revealing than our spiritual claims. You can say all the right things, but if your life is orbiting around self, eventually it shows.

Jesus told a similar story in Matthew 7. He said that a good tree bears good fruit, and a bad tree bears bad fruit. Not because the tree is trying really hard, but because the fruit always follows the root. You don’t get oranges from an apple tree. And you don’t get the fruit of the Spirit from a life disconnected from the Spirit.

So what are you sowing? What kind of harvest is taking shape in the soil of your habits, your thoughts, your relationships? Are you seeking what is eternal or settling for what is easy?

This isn’t about striving harder to be good. It’s about surrendering more fully to the One who is good. When we walk with Jesus, we start to desire what he desires. And as we persist, day by day, seed by seed, something beautiful starts to grow. Not because we’re trying to earn life, but because we’ve already been given it.

Apply

Take stock of what you’ve been sowing lately. Are your patterns, priorities, and pursuits aligned with eternity or centered around self? Identify one area where you’ve been self-seeking rather than God-seeking. It could be how you spend your time, how you speak to others, or how you make decisions. Ask God to help you replant in that space. Choose one small act of obedience today—something that may not look impressive but reflects the kind of life you want to grow long-term. Keep sowing. The harvest will come.

Pray

God, thank you that you are both just and gracious. You see everything I do, and yet you still invite me into life. Help me pay attention to what I’m sowing. Reveal the places where I’ve been living for myself instead of for you. Teach me to plant what is good, to persist in what is right, and to live with eternity in view. Let my life reflect your glory in both small and lasting ways. In Jesus’ name. Amen.