Tammy On Tuesday ~ “You Reap What You Sow” Deserves More Consideration

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Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.  For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.  Galatians 6:7-8

A couple of points stick out to me as I read this:

• The passage kicks off with a warning. We are warned not to be deceived.  (To be deceived is also defined as: take the bait, be taken in by, be made a fool, fall for)  I say it often, if we are having to be told not to be deceived we must realize the potential is there. If we ARE being deceive, by the very definition of the word, we won’t know it.  That’s sobering.
• The passage goes on to say that God is not mocked.  In this text the use of the word mocked means “one cannot evade the outcome”.  In other words, there is no way around the principle that you will sow what you reap.
• The command is to all mankind, everyone.  We ALL plant and harvest. It says, “you will.” It doesn’t say “you might”, or “if you ever do.”
• Another thought to point out is this. We are either sowing to death or sowing to life.  There’s no third option.
• Perhaps the greatest thing to consider here is that the harvest is rarely if ever immediate. Beware of a false sense of personal security in careless planting simply because it might be “working for you at the moment.”

We will reap what we sow.

I read this verse to my kids early this morning before they headed off to school and I pointed these things out to them.  They sat there staring at me with sleepy, vacant eyes.  How do I get teenagers to consider long term repercussions?  Outside of a work of God, it’s virtually impossible.  I remember being their age and thinking I would live to be really old…like age 50 and I had plenty of time to think about planting and harvesting later.

It also doesn’t help that our culture, because of it’s lack of regard for the things of God, encourages poor planting. Look at the messages all around us.

Seek your pleasure and happiness above all else.

Lying is good when it helps you in the end.

Play the blame game.

You’re a victim.

Be politically correct.

“Love” means stay out of my business.

Respect no one but demand respect for yourself.

You are not responsible.

– to name a few

PINIMAGEMy in-laws just sold their farm in Marion, Ohio and moved to Delaware. Over the years we would take trips to the farm and in my short visits, I learned interesting things about farming and the life of a farmer. The first thing I learned is that farming is hard work that requires a lot of diligence and agricultural knowledge.  I learned that to have a good crop you had to do a whole lot more than plant the seeds. There was planting season, yes.  But then there was daily caring for the crops. And with much prayer and toil, came time to harvest. So much more than just dropping seeds in the ground goes into planting and harvesting.  A good farmer knows to:

Prepare the soil

Protect the crop from pests and weeds

Watch the weather

Work day and night

And pray for favor

This morning while we talked about this familiar passage I reminded the kids of all their grandfather did to ensure a healthy, bountiful harvest.

PINIMAGEMark’s dad was vigilant as he cared for the crops and the work was tiring. He kept his mind on the harvest.

We ALL plant and harvest.

When I consider what I’m planting in my life, one thing is for sure, to live in the flesh comes natural to me. I can convince myself that life is good and I’m doing all right. If I’m not careful I won’t think twice on any given day about the fact that harvest time is coming. But what about the harvest?

See, I have obstacles to overcome. I know within my flesh what I find in abundance are seeds of:

Laziness

Selfishness

Pride

Human reason

Ambition

Greed

Entitlement

These attitudes are easily and carelessly scattered throughout the moments of my day. But, to live to please the Spirit, no doubt, requires consideration, discipline and care. To sow an eternal harvest:

I am to prepare the soil for God’s truth to be planted and take root.

I am to daily receive nourishment from the Word of God.

I am to continually watch for pests that could come in to destroy the growth in my life.

I am to be sober and vigilant, aware and ready for the storms on the horizon.

Friend, as we consider this very straightforward challenge of reaping and sowing, I ask you, are you being deceived?  We all sow and we harvest. God promises this to be the reality no matter what we choose to believe.  The harvest of what you are sowing may not come for some time, but perhaps today you should consider your crop.  Let’s ask the Spirit of God to work the soil and tend the crop in our hearts and lives, so that we can reap a harvest unto eternal life.

Lord, help us today to sow to the Spirit today.  Help us to let go of the things of the flesh that lead to death and corruption and give us the power to surrender to Your will and way in our lives.  Sow in us Your desires and lead is in Your life-giving way.  In Jesus name, Amen.