The Law of Sowing and Reaping                                    Index

A few weeks ago I spoke on the subject of  judgment.  I showed that there is a final reckoning for everyone, Christians as well as sinners.  We saw that, though there is "no condemnation in Christ Jesus," and though Christians need not fear Hell, we should all nevertheless be made sober and serious by the fact that we will some day give a full account of our lives. "Every one of us shall give an account of himself to God" (Rom. l4:12).  "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor. 5:10).  In fact, "...every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give and account thereof in the day of judgment"  (Matt. 12:36).

But today I want to concentrate on the judgments that take place here and now.   For we all recognize that our choices,  attitudes, and actions have consequences in this life.   Some actions elicit a blessing; others result in the opposite.  The choices we make go a long way in determining the success or failure of our projects and endeavors--not just in the natural results, but also in the spiritual climate we create.  Judgment day will reveal the total meaning of our lives, but every day reveals who and what we are now.

Turn with me to Galatians chapter 6, verses 7-10:  "Don't be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever a man sows, that shall he also reap."  Reap when?  In eternity, to be sure.  But we begin to reap the consequences of our choices and actions here and now. 

"For he who sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life."   The focus here is on the final result, eternal life; but we also know from both experience and Scripture that we often begin immediately to reap the results of our attitudes and actions.

"And let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart."   In due season: today, tomorrow, or in eternity.

"Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, especially unto those who are of the household of faith."

Let us look at a few scriptures that place emphasis on judgments and blessings in this life, scriptures that teach us that we are the ones who determine, not just the tone of our lives, but the actual events and conditions of our lives. 

Promises concerning the use of money are the clearest examples I could find.

Luke 6:38:  "Give, and it shall be given to you, pressed down , shaken together and running over, will they pour into your lap."    The KJV supplies "men"; "shall men give into your bosom."  This is a promise that , if we will give generously, as we see need and opportunity,  God will providentially bless us, using men, human agents.  God can do this, you know, without violating anyone's free will:  Proverbs 16:7 says, "When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even their enemies to be at peace with them."

Next look at II Corinthians 9:6-10:

6 But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he
that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Let each man do
according as he hath purposed in his heart: not grudgingly, or of necessity:
for God loveth a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound
unto you; that ye, having always all sufficiency in everything, may abound
unto every good work: 9 as it is written, He hath scattered abroad, he hath
given to the poor; His righteousness abideth for ever. 10 And he that
supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply
your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness...

How will one reap the bountiful blessings promised here?   Will he discover a pot of gold, miraculously turn pebbles into diamonds, win the lottery?  No.
not miraculously, but providentially, through ordinary economic means--only those means will be blessed by God and multiplied.

When a person does anything upon which God has pronounced a blessing, he attracts to himself the favor and power of God.  In a sense (let me not seem irreverent as I say it), in a sense God is obligated to bless that person.  He must be true to His promise.

But I am convinced that it is not just in finances, but in every human endeavor, that we are blessed or not blessed on the basis of our thoughts, words, and deeds. (Whenever I speak of blessings your eyes brighten; but when I speak of curses, you seems to get squirmy and nervous.  So I'll try to avoid the c-word, even though you must know what the opposite of a blessing is.)

Now  turn to Matthew 7:1-2:  "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged.  For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you."  This is not speaking only of Final Judgment: of that I am sure.  It means that what we bring to this life, this life will bring to us.    How we treat others, specifically here how hard or how gentle we are on others, determines how life will treat us.  We, you and I, are given the privilege and responsibility to set the standard of measure by which God, men, and the whole creation react to us.     Will all things cooperate with us in blessing?  Or will all things conspire against us in non-blessing?

Every thought, word, and deed has repercussions in the invisible world of Spirit, "the Heavenlies."  Our attitude creates a spiritual condition around us that either attracts negative, harmful forces, or positive blessed forces.

We need to walk carefully here.  Every spiritual truth has its demonic counterfeit.  The New Age people use language quite similar to Biblical truth, but in their mouths the words are a lie.  Every spiritual truth has a new age counterpart.  There's and old saying, "Whenever God builds a church, the devil builds a chapel near by."  New agers speak much of the law of cause and effect: they call it Karma.  And they talk much of positive thinking, positive and negative vibrations, and the like.  It is best therefore to stick with what is written.

Suffice it to say that there is a spiritual realm, there are spiritual laws, spiritual forces, invisible to the eye of mortal man, that feel the effect of our human choices so that:

1) If we sow things that pertain to our carnal, fallen nature, we will reap negative, destructive, hurtful things.

2) If we sow seeds of love, compassion, patience, forgiveness--spiritual seeds, we will reap blessings.

Turn now to Ephesians chapters 6, verse one;:  "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.  Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise)  SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH."   Is it necessary for the teen years to be hellish and miserable?  Absolutely not!  Adolescence is always hard, but those years can be attended with blessing to those who obey and honor their parents.  But if obeying and honoring our parents carries with it the promise that "it will go well with you," then what of the opposite?   IT WILL NOT GO WELL WITH YOU.   When children follow their peers, the popular culture, ungodly influences, disobey and dishonor their parents, then you have exactly what we have today--millions of young people with little joy, no direction or purpose, little hope.

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."  Parents who overcorrect, dominate, criticize harshly, and humiliate their children, or fail to instruct them in the ways of the Lord, reap sad, often deadly, fruit.

Verses 5 through 9 deal with the relations between employer and employee and Paul sums up with this remark: "WHATEVER GOOD THING EACH ONE DOES, THIS HE WILL RECEIVE BACK FROM THE LORD."

Let me tell you and incident at work that set me on to this subject:

Week before last a shipment of wheels came on a slow boat from China.
They were packed in cardboard (a brilliant idea for saving a few dollars) and stacked on top of each other.  Imagine over a thousand metal wheels in each box, boxes stacked and crushed like a concertina, wheels threatening to spill by the thousands onto a truck bed nearly 120 degrees F.  My supervisor had told me that in order to get help, "All you need to do is asked."  I asked, and got no help.  Instead I got shuffled from one  non-helpful person to another, just like some government bureacracy.  All those in the air-conditioned offices brushed me off, hoping that somehow the wheels would get unloaded.  Understand, unloading the trucks is my job, but that should not include cleaning up a horrible mess their dumb decisions had created.  Even my fellow workers scattered in all directions.  Finally, after a nearly-successful unloading under extreme stress, one box of over a thousand wheels spilled.  I tell you it was like the movie  "High Noon".  There I was alone; the streets  were empty.  My erstwhile friends had scuttled into their holes, locking the doors and shutters behind them.  I felt as though no one cared a you-know-what.  And I was right.

 The next day I intended to punish them as best I could--to be distant, 
courteous but cool.  After all, they had proved to be no friends of mine. 
Why should I slobber over them amiably like Odie when they were all a bunch of uncaring Garfields?  They can't treat a child of God like that and get by with it.  You can't treat one of God's children like that and not pay for it.

Then it dawned on me: Yes, they can't treat one of His children like that and not pay for it.  By their selfish unconcern they were blocking God's blessing on their lives.  God blesses one who gives a cup of cold water.  No good thing goes unrewarded.  By their insensitive concern for NUMBER ONE, they were assuring that their lives would not enjoy the full blessing of God.

They didn't need me to punish them.  Their own callous hearts would punish them.  What they needed from me was FORGIVENESS AND PRAYER.
THOUGH THEY COULD NOT BE A FRIEND TO ME, I COULD BE A FRIEND TO THEM.  I had a deep sense of shame at how different my reaction was to that of Jesus and Stephen.    So I forgave them their selfishness and prayed God not to make them pay for it.  Father, forgive them; they don't realize what a blessing they are missing.  I'd like to report that since then I've not been tempted to bitterness, but that would not be true.  But I did come into a new place of understanding and compassion.

What about you?  Are you in a situation in which you are doing most of the giving and others are doing the taking?  Don't lose heart.  And don't be angry.  For you are in a place of blessing if you keep a good attitude.  The others, well, the others are asking for trouble.  Pray for God to open their eyes and show them that a selfish, taking person WILL NO BE BLESSED.

Every choice we make sets in motion spiritual forces.  When you lie, it does something to your soul, yes; but  something  happens in the spiritual realm as well, "in the heavenlies."  When a person acts, history is altered by just so much.  What is history but the sum total of all human acts?  Great events of history turn on the hinge of many small choices and acts.  Let me read this little poem that expresses this truth:

For want of a nail the shoe was lost,
For want of a shoe the horse was lost,
For want of a horse the rider was lost, 
For want of a rider the battle was lost, 
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost--
All for the want of a nail.

Here are some  examples from history:

A flight of pigeons flying southwest diverted  Columbus from Virginia to the Indies.  But for that flight of pigeons, Virginians might speak Spanish today.

A bout of insomnia caused Ahasuerus to have the chronicles read to him.  He heard of the favor Mordecai had done the king, and thus Haman's plan to destroy the Jewish people was averted.

A random arrow pierced the eye of Harold in the Battle of Hastings, giving the victory to William of Normandy.  But for that arrow, among many other things, we might be speaking a bland Germanic language like Danish today, instead of this glorious English language.  But for that arrow, no Shakespeare or Milton.

Great events turn on small human choices or small works of providence.
"Large doors turn on small hinges."

But my main point is not history: it is your personal life and mine.

We must not think that any good act is wasted.  God has promised in His word, a promise which cannot be broken, that every idle word and sinful act will be answered, and that every good deed will be answered as well., and mostly in this life.

It's true that we are saved by faith apart from works.  But it is equally true that the blessing and success of our lives depend on our deeds.

So, let us not be deceived.  The attitudes, thoughts, words , and acts of our lives make an important difference.  If we sow negative, sinful seeds, we will reap confusion, destruction, and all negative things.

If we sow to the Spirit, we will reap blessing in this life and eternal life in the age to come.

Don't lose heart; you will reap the good consequences of every unselfish act.

So, every opportunity you have, plant a good seed, do a good deed, especially to the household of faith.

Amen