“Do not be
deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (Galatians 6:7)
Every action has results, and every day (whether we
realize it or not) we are sowing seeds. In our interaction with our family,
friends, co-workers, or people that just happen to cross our paths, we can sow
a seed by a gesture, a look, our words, or just a smile. Or…we can be sowing
seeds of doubt, negativity, greed, or anger. The phrase “you reap what you sow”
is familiar to us all, but how often do we really take the time to consider the
meaning of the phrase? And, as the scripture above tells us, we should never deceive
ourselves into thinking that we are hiding anything from God by the way we
behave; if we are kind and compassionate to others we will reap kindness and
compassion. On the other hand, if we are in the habit of sowing bad seeds by
judging or mistreating others, then we shouldn’t be surprised when things begin
to go wrong in our lives. If we plant to please God, we will harvest joy and
everlasting life…what kind of seeds are you planting?
“The one who
sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the
one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
(Galatians 6:8)
We hear a lot of bad stories about people who get away
with sowing some really bad things, who escape judgment and consequences for
illegal and unethical behavior. However, the manner in which we behave and
conduct ourselves comes back to us, and we can rest assured that most of us do
reap one way or another in our lifetime, and there will be consequences eventually…if
not in this life, then at the judgment. Every day we have an opportunity to go
into the field, plant new seeds, and sow to please the Spirit. If we rarely
ever sow a good seed we can’t expect to reap blessings and favors, and we
certainly can’t expect God to shower us with blessings and show us favor
through others if we have done nothing to deserve it. We can never get away
from the seeds we plant, and we certainly can't fool God or ourselves, so we
better make sure that the seeds we sow are worth growing and reaping!
“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 6:9)
We must not grow weary in planting that which draws us
closer to God; seeds of faith, forgiveness, love, and kindness are essential
for our eternal survival. Even if our efforts are not yielding a great deal, or
our labors of love attract little or no appreciation from others, the truth is…God
wants us to continue doing good, regardless of the results we see. It may be discouraging
to do right and receive no words of thanks, but He challenges us to keep on
doing good and trust Him for the results. And even when we think our efforts
don’t amount to much, God is pleased when we are enthusiastic, obedient and
trust Him to give us the heart and strength to keep going. The worst enemy of
enthusiasm is weariness; what once was a joy has now become a wearisome burden,
but we must battle against the weariness associated to doing good. We can never
sow sparingly, give grudgingly, or do anything with the wrong motive. God
promises us that what we pour out, will be replenished!
A great reminder to be tenders of our gardens Denise. As a friend often says, if you don't like your harvest, check your seeds.
ReplyDeleteLove what your friend says Wanda; will remember that quote! Thanks my friend; blessings!
DeleteVery day (whether we realize it or not) we are sowing seeds. Good seed or bad seed, we sow one or the other, so "know what you sow". In the farm areas, folks understand the metaphor better because they see and understand the action and direct outcome of sowing seed. I see our life (godly or ungodly thoughts, words, and deeds before a "watching' world) as our seed and our our dedication, devotion and desires, our trust, obedience and love in charity (living out our faith in holiness and righteousness) as our sowing by walking the talk. I like what you said: "sow to please the Spirit." Unconditional sowing and let the Holy Spirit produce the fruit. Thank you Denise for this thought-provoking post. Blessings sister.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brian; I couldn't agree with you more!(walking the talk!) Blessings for a week of good seeds!
ReplyDeleteDear Denise
ReplyDeleteAnd apart from sowing good seeds, we must make sure that we sow them in the power of the sweet Holy Spirit. I have often misunderstood these verses from Galatians to mean that if we produce love, joy, peace, etc. in our lives, we qualify to live in the power of the Holy Spirit, until I realized my mistake. We can never produce these fruit; only as we abide in Jesus, does He produce these fruit in our hearts!
Much love XX
Mia
With His good grace and all to the glory of Him; amen Mia! :)
DeleteHi Denise, great encouragement for me today. I've been a bit snoeps in the sowing department. Trying to spare myself hurt when really, its in the giving we are blessed.
ReplyDeleteGreat post
God bless my friend
Tracy
Hi Tracy; not always easy to spare our feelings sometimes, is it? Thankful for a God who never hurts, only blesses, and gives us the strength to keep going! :)
DeleteA precious post Denise. Thank you for sharing dear friend. Blessings and hugs.
ReplyDeleteHi Denise!! Great post my friend!! It may seem hard at times, but it's so important we don't get weary when we're doing what is good! I love the end of your quote..."you get what you give, so give GOOD". I LOVE that!! Thanks so much for dropping by and linking up today...have a blessed rest of your week my sweet friend!!
ReplyDeleteDenise,I like that you extended the concept of sowing seed beyond the financial to the behavioral (judging, being negative or conversely, encouraging and exhorting). I'm a witness that good seed gets a high return on its investment. God waters those seeds! Look out, world!
ReplyDelete