August 22, 2020 SOWING AND REAPING
Galatians 6:7-9 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
2 Corinthians 9:6, 10 “Now this I say; he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” “Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.”
If you want to prosper, then sow bountifully. In our culture, gathering rather than sowing has become the norm. Galatians 6:7 begins with the admonition to not be deceived; we are deceived when we do not live with a conscience awareness of the law of sowing and reaping. God has established certain principles that cannot be altered by man, and when man does not live in harmony with these principles, he does so to his own detriment. (The law of reaping and sowing is universal, applying to believers as well as to non-believers. However, for the one who knows and loves God, the principle of reaping and sowing takes on a new dimension as he or she can sow to the Spirit of God and reap a harvest that is of God.) This passage in Galatians simplifies the matter of sowing; even as believers, we are always sowing either to the flesh, or to the Spirit. Being focused on what is best for me and what makes me ‘happy’ is sowing to the flesh. Again, looking out for self is the norm for many and it is the acceptable thing to do in our culture-and sad to say, all too often it is the acceptable thing to do among believers. Sowing to the Spirit is being focused on the things of God and being about the things He has called us to do and to be. The challenge is that our human nature tells us that we need to get-whatever it is we think we want; it seems like common sense to look out for number one-us. The problem for many is that what they think they need or want is not really what satisfies the longings of the soul. The good news is that because God created us and designed us, He knows what fills the longing of our souls. One facet of our design is that God designed us to be givers, or sowers; Jesus is the example-He came to give and to sow the seeds of the kingdom of God. Now, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, we have the privilege of sowing seeds that will produce an abundant crop. Here is more good news-God will give us seed and will multiply our seed for sowing and increase our harvest of righteousness! (See verse above.) There are endless ways of sowing-even giving a glass of water can be a way of sowing; a kind word, helping, encouraging, meeting a need, praying for someone, giving financial assistance as the Lord leads-etc. The point is that we have the life of God in us, if we know Him, and we can share His life with others in infinite ways. Let us set our mind and our hearts on sowing what God has put in our hearts. We may not win the lottery just because we sow, and we may not see an immediate harvest, but the harvest we will see beats the lottery by a long shot.
Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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