“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:4).
TEXT —Ezekiel 18:1-4
Message
Bernie Madoff was a prominent financier and former chairperson of NASDAQ who orchestrated the largest Ponzi scheme in history, defrauding thousands of investors of billions of dollars. For years, Madoff enjoyed immense wealth and prestige, living a life of luxury. However, in 2008, his scheme collapsed during the financial crisis, and he was arrested. Madoff’s fraudulent activities became known, revealing the depth of his deceit. He was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009. Madoff’s fall from grace illustrates the principle of sowing and reaping. His fraudulent actions, motivated by greed, ultimately led to his disgrace, legal repercussions, and imprisonment. His son, Mark, committed suicide in 2010. The investors who lost their life savings and the impact on his family further highlight the severe consequences of his actions.
Moreover, this is just one of a million real-life incidents that confirm the word of God; “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:7,8).
Right from creation, God equipped every human being with a conscience that enables a person to know the difference between good and evil, light and darkness. Even without any knowledge of the Scripture, experience has shown that “…they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same” (Job 4:8). Yet, despite this innate ability, as well as life’s experience that abound, people continue to undertake evil activities as though there would be no repercussion. Therefore, it is irrevocably established that our ‘output’ (reward or repercussion) is determined by our ‘input’ (lifestyle, character).
Every sower must certainly reap. All our actions, good or bad, constitute our inputs into this world, which has been perfectly designed by God, our Creator, to yield commensurate outputs. Whether we believe or not does not change this divine law.
Thought for the day
Your every action will boomerang – it will always come back to you.
Listed among “500 most powerful people on the planet” by the Foreign Policy magazine in 2013, Pastor (Dr.) William F. Kumuyi is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry (DCLM) headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. DCLM started in 1973 as a 15-member Bible study group right in Kumuyi’s apartment at University of Lagos where he was a lecturer. His revolutionary Bible teaching on personal holiness and commitment to evangelism soon gained so much traction and resulted in a widespread revival.
