Karma Bad
Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.
(Galatians 6:7-10 HCSB ©®)
“Karma” is the name of a lie taught by Hindus, Buddhists and others who adhere to the belief that people are reincarnated – they die, are brought back to life in a different body, they die, are brought back in a different body, and so on. Karma keeps score on your good and evil deeds and omissions. Some of its rewards and/or curses happen in the same life they are related to: you steal a purse and get hit by a bus, you stop a thief and someone wanting to rob you gets caught. Other judgments by Karma determine your caste or species in your next life: moving up the ladder or down the food chain.
Karma is a counterfeit of Yahweh’s instruction about sowing and reaping. It is also an occasional mislabeling of sowing and reaping by someone who does not know Yahweh is God. The truth is, the more grace I spread around, the more there is for me when I need it. The more evil I spread around, the more evil there is to curse me when I need help.
You can sow with the purpose of creating an atmosphere of blessing, but what you sow must really be sown – no strings attached. My first carrot crop as a child all died because I kept pulling the carrots up to check on them. Gifts that are loans I hope to make money off of are like offerings I am “blessing” with instructions to Yahweh about what I am buying with them: I’m giving You $100, so pay my $200 light bill.
Gifts that are given are released. Perhaps with the hope of a particular return, especially if the Spirit informs me of one, but not without the consideration of what Jesus taught on the mountain:
“Give, and it will be given to you; a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over—will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”
(Luke 6:38 HCSB ©®)
If your “gift” has a hook in it, designed to gather instead of to distribute, be cautious about accepting gifts thereafter. You might harvest some hooks.