I have always believed in the principle of sowing and then reaping. Or even reaping, what you previously planted as seeds.
Scripture is clear, God set up time and seasons. In Gen 1:14, God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years.” So too God determines the seasons of our lives, just like He determines the natural seasons of Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. In Ecc 3:1-8 scripture confirms that “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven…” and then goes on to describe all kinds of “times.”
One of those times, is the season for planting or harvesting. God is very clear that the principle will always apply, He established it in Genesis and repeats it in Galatians 6:7-8:
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.”
We will reap what is sown.
What we give out, we get back. Don’t think you can be unkind or cranky or mean or harsh – and not think it is going to come back to you. All actions in a relationship are seeds for the future. Don’t think you can be stingy and selfish and God will be generous and rewarding to you. We reap what we sow.
The seed we plant grows up into a tree that produces fruit.
I have realized that my life is really a reflection of the seeds I sow. If I sow kindness, I will reap kindness. If I am reaping bitterness, negativity and selfishness, it is really a reflection of what I have planted.
Mike Murdock describes an inevitable harvest in his book “Leadership Secrets of Jesus”. He says, “Everything begins with a seed to sow! Someone plants a small acorn. It becomes the mighty oak tree. A small kernel of corn is planted. It produces two cornstalks. Each stalk produces two ears of corn. Each ear of corn contains over seven hundred kernels of corn. From that one small kernel of corn, (a seed), 2,800 more kernels are created.”
My life is a reflection of the seed I have sown.
Paul reminds us not be to deceived. This means to be tricked into thinking in one way when in fact, it is not the right thinking. Paul wants us to understand that all our actions carry consequences. We cannot think that we can do whatever we want in our lives, and that those actions will not carry consequences. No one is immune to the consequences of their actions, we will all be held accountable for what we have done with our lives.
Paul also says: “God will not be mocked.” To mock someone, is to “ridicule or make fun of them.” If we have God’s word on this principle, and choose to ignore it, we are mocking God. We cannot just ignore this principle in scripture, declare that we are Christians, and then live anyway that we like, thinking we have got away with it. Paul warns that in precisely these situations, the very seeds we plant, will be harvested in our lives.
Whatever we sow, we will from that, reap.
From this, I have also come to understand that you can change your life by paying attention to the seeds you sow. Seed is anything in your life that can multiply into more. Love is a seed. So is money. So is studying, preparation, planning.
Everything you possess can be planted back into the world as a seed. Your harvest is anything God gives back that benefits you, peace, love, joy, a friend, strong finances, new opportunities, people giving you their time, protection, even people praying for you. All that we have, comes from God’s hand and is the harvest He ensures, whether good or bad, when we plant seeds.
Sowing a seed in faith is using what you have been given to obtain what God has promised. Jesus taught that giving was the beginning of blessings: Luke 6:38
“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 to you.’”
My final question to you my friend, is what are you deciding to plant?
Father make me mindful to the principle of sowing and reaping. I am so quick to blame others, the government, family, friends, church or You, instead of examining what I have planted in my life. If I have that attitude of thinking I can get away with my actions, examine my heart Lord and show me. I understand now that all my actions have consequences and that one day I will stand before you and be held accountable. Help me to consider what seeds I am planting in my life now, and help me not to become weary of doing good.
