The Principle of Sowing and Reaping
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he 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.
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
Many times in life we lose sight of the fact that much of what we are facing is a result of our own doing—the decisions we have made and the seeds we have sown. It’s easy to get caught up in asking God why things aren’t changing, or why we are not experiencing a breakthrough in a particular area. All the while, what we’re experiencing is not a lack of God working; rather, it is a harvest of the seeds we have been sowing for quite some time. This is one of the easy-to-forget principles in life, the principle of sowing and reaping.
Whatever One Sows, That Will He Also Reap
You are living today the harvest of the seed you’ve sown in your past. The seed you are sowing today, whether good or bad, is eventually going to bring a harvest into your life. It’s easy to blame God for the bad things happening in our lives, and to use those difficulties as an excuse not to do what we know God is desiring us to do. All the while, we have lost site of the fact that we are mostly responsible for where we find ourselves.
“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” This will always be true, for all people, in all times, and in all places. It may seem for a time that someone is getting by with rebelling against God, and they may appear to be living it up without any consequence. Eventually a price will be paid. Likewise, a person may be sowing good seed of obedience to God, yet it seems they are going through difficult times and not being blessed. Whatever it may appear, God has made it clear that whatever we are sowing is eventually what we are going to reap. We should not allow ourselves to be fooled by our current circumstance or a delay in any consequence.
Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
The key word in this verse, and the key issue we are really dealing with is obedience. In each area of our lives, we are either being obedient to God or sin. We’re being a slave to God or sin. If we’re being obedient to God, we will reap the fruit of righteousness—including the blessing and favor of God. If we’re being a slave to sin, then we will reap a harvest of death. Sounds pretty drastic, but that’s the words the Bible uses. A similar message is repeated in Proverbs:
A man who is kind benefits himself, but a cruel man hurts himself. The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a sure reward. Whoever is steadfast in righteousness will live, but he who pursues evil will die. Those of crooked heart are an abomination to the Lord, but those of blameless ways are his delight. Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered. ...
One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it. Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor, but evil comes to him who searches for it. Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.
The previous passage is an Old Testament version of our New Testament principle of sowing and reaping. Promises such as these are found all throughout the book of Proverbs supporting the truth that good seed produces a good harvest and bad seed produces a bad harvest. Verse twenty-four stands out to me, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.” This statement goes against what the natural mind tells us. It doesn’t seem logical that giving freely would lead to growing richer, but this is exactly what the Bible teaches. One of the greatest ways to head toward blessing is to be a giver. Don’t cling to your money, but give it freely as the Holy Spirit leads you and you will find yourself blessed. On the flip side of the coin, if you do cling to your money and don’t give as the Holy Spirit leads you, then you’ll soon find yourself in want and suffering.
The main point behind whether you are clinging to your money or freely giving as you see opportunity comes down to where you are placing your trust. If you hoard it, then you’re trusting in money to take care of you; if you are freely giving it when the opportunity presents itself, then you’re in something greater than money. God desires us to trust fully in Him, knowing that money is not the answer, He is. You’ll go much farther and live a much more blessed life if you’ll choose now to fully trust God and to be a cheerful and free giver. This is in accordance with the last verse in the above passage, “Whoever trusts in his riches will fall, but the righteous will flourish like a green leaf.” Money can’t save you, and whatever money you have could be gone in an instant.
Good Fruit Glorifies God
Why does God want to bless those who sow the seed of faith and obedience? Because it brings Him glory. This statement from the apostle Peter will help us understand,
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
God’s greatest desire is to bring glory to Himself, or like this verse says to “proclaim [His] excellencies.” He wants to broadcast the glory of Who He is through His people to the world and to the authorities in the spiritual realms. God’s purposes are far greater than whether or not you’ll be able to pay your bills or buy that car you’ve always dreamed about owning. His purposes extend into the spiritual world and throughout history in such a way that we can never truly comprehend what’s at stake at each opportunity to walk in faith. We should trust that God knows far more than we do and that He is committed to His glory, therefore He is fully committed to bless those who sow the seed of faith. Because His glory is at stake, He surely won’t fail to reward our obedience.
We can never truly comprehend what's at stake at each opportunity to walk in faith.
You Will Reap Proportionally to How You Sow
One of the key principles that follows what you sow is what you’ll reap is that you will reap proportionally to how you sow. This is what we find in Corinthians, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully…. You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:6,11).
Understanding that we will reap bountifully if we sow bountifully, you would think we would be sowing over and above what we usually do. Unfortunately, in most instances this is not the case. We need to be reminded that we shouldn’t expect to receive a harvest beyond what we’ve sown. Don’t hold back. Sow much, so you can reap much! Be generous in your sowing.
Sometime Sowing is Difficult
It is important that we touch on situations that are very difficult. Some of you are in a place in life where sowing good seed will be one of the most difficult things to do. I am aware, and we all should be, that many times the hardest path to go down is the one of sowing good seed. Choosing this road may bring the greatest persecution and difficulty in our lives. Don’t loose site of the fact that it will eventually lead to blessing. Hear these words from one of my favorite verses in the Bible, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him” (Psalm 126:5-6).
Maybe you’re sowing the seed of faith through prayer to see your spouse saved. Maybe you’re sowing the seed of tithing when you barely have enough money to pay the bills and to eat. Maybe you’re sowing a seed of faith following the leadership of the Holy Spirit to go in a direction that your mind does not understand and you can’t see how God can get you through. These are hard things to do.
I’m reminded of the time when Stephanie and I were moving to Nashville, I didn’t have a job or any idea how I’d make a living. We were convinced that God wanted us to build a house in a specific neighborhood and in a specific lot. In those days, you could be approved for a mortgage much easier than today. The four month journey from signing on the house to the time we closed was one of the most difficult times in my life. We were convinced we were being obedient to God, yet we had no idea how God was going to take care of us. What made it worse was that I was also convinced that God did not want me to look for a job (I don’t advise this without a convincing word from God). Every time I tried to go online to search for a job, I came under great conviction and had to stop. Needless to say, this was scary. I knew the whole time that God was wanting me to learn how to be at peace simply trusting in Him even though I could not see how He would take care of us.
One week before we closed on our house, God miraculously provided me a salary, and not just that, but it was a deal that allowed me to work from home and write a book. This was something I had not pursued or even expected as a possibility. Had I not trusted God and endured this time of sowing the seed of faith, and had I tried to fix the situation on my own, I never would have experienced God’s wonderful provision. This is one of our greatest losses when we don’t sow the seed of faith, we miss out on experiencing more of God. The Bible says that sowing obedience leads to eternal life, and Jesus defined eternal life in John 17:3 as knowing the only true God. The conclusion here is that sowing obedience leads to experiencing more of God. This is exactly what happened to Stephanie and me, and it has been one of the most difficult but greatest experiences we’ve had in our lives. There were many nights of tears and frustration, but it ended with real shouts of joy.
This is one of our greatest losses when we don't sow the seed of faith, we miss out on experiencing more of God.
Conclusion
Are things bad in your life right now? Do you feel overwhelmed, frustrated, disappointed, or angry? Don’t lose site of the fact that where you are today has much to do with the seed you have sown. If you want to be in a different place in the future, make sure to be sowing the right seed today. God is faithful to those who walk in faith. God blesses those who sow seeds of righteousness. Seeds sown in obedience today will lead you to reap the blessing of God in the future. It’s never too late to start sowing the right seed.
