Articles
Three Laws Of Sowing & Reaping
I grew up in a small town. Leaving the city limits quickly led to the country, where farmland was common. I am also blessed to presently live in a country environment. Soybean , cotton and corn fields surround my home. It gives me plenty of time to ponder how things work in the field. There are three laws of sowing and reaping that prove true in the field but also in our lives.
The first law is that we always reap what we sow. A farmer plants corn and corn stalks emerge. He plants cotton seed and cotton plants come forth. It's just that simple. The same is true of the lives we live. The apostle Paul stated it this way, "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life" (Galatians 6:7-8). This law cannot be changed. If we want our lives to be well rewarded, we have to give attention to what we sow. How many people have been so saddened, even in this life, to see the fruit of the seed they have sown?
The second law is you always reap more than you sow. One grain of wheat can produce perhaps fifty kernels. More comes out of the ground than went in. Sin brings consequences far in excess of the sin committed. We think of King David who committed adultery with Bathsheba. That one sinful act eventually lead to the disintegration of his family, brought disgrace to himself and his kingdom (2nd Samuel 12). Likewise today we have witnessed many who have suffered unimagined consequences, and all of them stemming from one sin.
Finally, we reap in a different season than we sow. After a farmer plants his seed, he could return every day for a while and see nothing. It appears nothing is going to happen. But some time later, here it comes! The same is true with sin. It is so deceptive. A person can sin and because he sees no immediate consequence, he thinks all is well. However, harvest is sure to come. There have been some who have sinned and it has never come to light, but it will. God is not mocked. A season (judgment) is coming when everything is revealed (1st Timothy 5:24-25).
While these laws are devastating to the sinner, they are a source of joy to the faithful child of God. We always reap what we sow. Fruit is produced and eternal life is reaped (Luke 8:15; Galatians 6:8). We reap more than was sown. One gospel seed produces much; some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (Matthew 13:23). We reap in a different season. "And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Galatians 6:9).
