Sowing & Reaping Part 2: A Timeless Principle

The Bible teaches us that whatever we sow we will also reap (Galatians 6:7). This series of posts will focus on that concept in general, and focus in on several areas in our lives where we can sow the right seed, and reap a harvest of rewards and benefits from God...

The concept of sowing and reaping is as old as, well, literally as old as dirt. What we put into the ground is what we get out. We can't plant apple seeds and expect a banana tree to grow in its place. That thinking is completely absurd in the natural world, but somehow people tend to lose site of it when it comes to spiritual matters. Let's examine the principle as laid out in Galatians:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸ 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. ⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:7-9, NIV)

This seems pretty simple doesn't it? So why do so many people seem oblivious to the principle? The end result of sowing is reaping, and no matter what we sow, we will reap in the end. When we sow things in our secular lives, we shouldn't be surprised to reap accordingly. Likewise, if we spend time sowing into our spirit, we will receive the benefits of our labour. To often we see lop-sided men and women of God who think that sowing seed bountifully in one area will cause them to reap a diverse harvest full of variety and plenty. Again, if I plant ten thousand apple trees, I should expect to get several hundred orange trees out of the effort.

Let's get a little more specific. A man who's devoted to providing for his family spends time working to earn money so their needs are met. This is completely Biblical. However, if I spend 120 hours a week working to make money, but rarely spend time with my family, what will my harvest be? Think, a family with plenty of stuff who has very little relationship with their father/husband, and possibly kids who barely know my name...

A woman who's dedicated to making sure her children are intelligent and educated, thoroughly equipped to succeed in the world is a good thing. But if that drive turns into neglecting their emotional and spiritual needs, she may end up with successful kids who don't love God and don't care one iota about their fellow man.

We could go on and on with this but I think you see the point: the Bible teaches balance in life, and that means if we want to reap good things in all areas of our life, we must sow seed in those areas. In our next few installments of this series, we'll talk about sowing seed in several different areas (spirit, family, and finances) of life in order to reap a harvest of our maximum potential...