YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW (GAL 6:7)

“He will repay each man according to his conduct.” —Matthew 16:27

The prophet Nahum foretold the downfall of Nineveh, “the bloody city,” the capital city of Assyria (Na 3:1). The nation of Assyria brutalized and destroyed many cities and nations for several centuries, including wiping out the Northern Kingdom of Israel in 722 B.C. As Nahum prophesied, Nineveh was defeated (Na 3:2ff). As Jesus prophesied, Nineveh was repaid by the Lord “according to [its] conduct” (Mt 16:27).

Our conduct is extremely important for our eternal future. We are to conduct ourselves as “a member of God’s household” (1 Tm 3:15). The New Testament is filled with teaching on the conduct required of a disciple of Jesus: holiness (Rm 12:1-2), self-emptying love (Jn 15:12-13; 1 Cor 13:1-8), obeying God (Lk 22:42), crucifying our flesh and living by the Spirit’s lead (Gal 5:16, 25; 6:14), and “a life of faith” in Jesus (Gal 2:20). We must deny ourselves, take up our daily cross, and follow Jesus unreservedly (Lk 9:23). God will then “repay [us] according to [our] conduct” (Mt 16:27).

Is your conduct befitting a member of God’s household? (1 Tm 3:15) If not, repent! “Now is the acceptable time” to make your conduct all that the Lord commands (2 Cor 6:2). Offer your body to God as a living sacrifice (Rm 12:1).

Prayer: Father, may I give generously to You, not for my own reward, but to give You as much fruit as possible.

Promise: “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” —Mt 16:25

Praise: Following the declaration of Mary as Theotokos (“God-bearer”) at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, Pope St. Sixtus III oversaw the renovation of the basilica that was renamed St. Mary Major.