I love the springtime, in part because of the renewal of life. Having been reared on a farm, I have a natural urge to plant a few things in a small backyard garden when the spring arrives. That is what I have been doing this week. Among other things, I planted a couple of rows of green beans. Funny thing, you plant only a cup full of beans, but you anticipate many containers of green beans when they produce. If you sowed a gallon of seeds, you would reap a truck load of beans. You always reap more than you sow, often a hundred fold. If only we could make application of this principle in life.
Galatians 6:7 reads, “Do not be deceived, GOD is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” Now, for our consideration, I would like to note three truths from this passage.
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Time
When I planted my beans, I was not expecting a harvest immediately. But the fact that it takes time to mature and produce does not diminish the expectation. The harvest will happen. There may be a time lapse between the sowing and the harvest, but it will happen. “That he will also reap.” There is certainty about the harvest. Philips’ translation reads, “You cannot make a fool of GOD.” This is His law of sowing and reaping.
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Kind
There is a biblical principle of sowing and reaping after its kind. Genesis 1:24-25 notes that from the beginning the creation has produced after its kind. When you sow beans, you don’t expect to reap corn. In life, your sowing will produce after its kind. We often think of the sowing and reaping negatively, and that certainly can be true, but there are ample references of a positive nature. See Romans 8:18 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-9. As a matter of fact, the context of our verse in Galatians 6 is a positive thought. See verses 8-10 of Galatians 6: “let us not grow weary while doing good.”
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Increase
For our thoughts, I want to consider the negative aspect of the law. Here is the sobering truth. You will always reap more than you sow. Sowing bad seeds will reap unbelievable results in time to come. You will reap more than you sow. The alcoholic never imagines what lies ahead when as a young man he takes that first drink. If we could only see the heartache that lies ahead in many choices of life we would choose a different path.
The harvest will happen. And it will produce after its kind. And the harvest will be much more than what is sown….
LORD help us to make wise choices.