You Reap What You Sow | A Principle to Live By (Galatians 6:6-10)

Topic: You Reap What You Sow | Understanding Galatians 6:6-10

Reading: Galatians 6:6-10

6 Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Introduction and Overview

Among the many agricultural analogies used in the Bible, the idea that you reap what you sow appears numerous times. It is an interesting point, and in some ways should be obvious. If a farmer sows a field with wheat, he will not reap barley. If he sows rice, he will not reap oats. You reap what you sow.

But what is being pointed out is not the fact of reaping what you sow, it is a principle. It is not the physical actions of a farmer sowing and reaping crops, but the principle applies to all aspects of life. You reap what you sow in everything you do. For example, if you sow your finances into a solid investment, you can expect to reap a solid return. But likewise, if you sow into a shady deal, you can expect to lose your money.

And more to the point, in our relationships with God and one another, you reap what you sow. You cannot expect God to give you the desires of your heart if those desires are not aligned with the will of God. You cannot expect to reap the love and devotion of family and friends if all you ever sow is anger, wrath, violence, jealousy and harsh attitudes.

The concept of you reap what you sow is like looking in a mirror. When you look at yourself in a mirror, you do not see the face of somebody else. The mirror is a true reflection of who you are. So too, you reap what you sow tells us that we will receive in return whatever we give out. If we give love, mercy, compassion, and joy in our dealings with other people, we will receive the same back. And even if we don’t, because these things are aligned with the will of God, we will receive His blessing and His approval. But if we sow hate, violence, harshness and the like, then we should not be surprised if we receive and reap such evil in return.

This is all summed up in the great commandment that says:

35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

When we love our neighbour as ourself, we are treating them as we would like to be treated. Nobody wants to be treated badly. So, in order to reap good things, we need to sow good things. We need to sow love, joy, compassion, mercy, and so on, if we want to receive the same in return. This is what it means to reap what you sow. Just as a farmer cannot expect to reap a different crop than he sowed, so too we cannot expect to be treated in a different manner to how we treat others.

Key points from reading:

You reap what you sow and you cannot expect to reap what you do not sow.
God is not mocked. You cannot fake it. Sincerity and authenticity are essential. Mean it from your heart.
Do good to all people and receive the benefits of living a life that is right with God.

Discussion:

Scripture: Galatians 6:6 – Share what you have as you reap what you sow
- We all need to share what we have with those who are lacking. This does not mean we should go without or take from our family what is theirs. But when we have a surplus, share it to those who have none. Jesus told a parable in Luke 12:16-21 of a man who hoarded his possessions. He had ample and a great surplus of goods, much more than he needed, but rather than sharing what he had, had coveted it and kept it to himself. But that very night the man died and all of his surplus and all of his wealth would be distributed to others.
- That parable is a good example of the need to share. By helping others with our surplus, we are following the great commandment to love your neighbour. We are sowing good towards other, and in like we receive the approval of God. Doing the right and good thing is always right. You reap what you sow, and when you sow good, you reap good also.
- If we are receiving benefits from those who teach the word of God, then is it wrong to share our material benefits with them? This is perhaps less of an issue today than it was in Bible times, but the principle remains the same. Share what you have and sow what is good.
- Now, I must add that there are ministers in the broad church who use scriptures like this for personal gain. Scriptures like this are used to underpin aspects of the prosperity gospel. They turn this scripture and this principle on is head. They focus on giving to get. This is a wrong interpretation of the principle of reaping what you sow.
- The correct focus is about giving, whether we receive anything in return or not. It doesn’t matter whether we receive material benefits or not. When we are willing to share our surplus with others who have a need, we receive the approval of God. Those who are in need may not be able to return the favour, but God sees and He rewards those who give from the heart without seeking anything in return. Yes, we will receive and reap a reward for our generosity, but it may not be a physical reward.
- When prosperity gospel preachers look at and preach that you reap what you sow, they twist the scripture. They say that if you want abundant wealth or material possessions, then you have to give in like. They focus on the return rather than the giving, and it is the giving that is more important than the receiving. And besides, your spiritual health is not determined by your material wealth, as some prosperity gospel preachers teach. When the scripture says things like, “The love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Timothy 6:10), and, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:23), then why would anyone consider wealth and money to be a worthwhile goal? Seek the kingdom of God, not the money, wealth, and financial riches of the kingdoms of this world.
Scripture: Galatians 6:7 – God is not mocked. You reap what you sow.
- One of the important things we need to understand in this is that God is not mocked. You cannot make a mockery of God and then expect to reap good when you do not sow good. You will reap what you sow and you can’t fake it. And let’s face it, does anyone think they can fool God? Not likely!
- To give a classic example of mocking God, there are those who believe they can live the most horrible life and then expect to receive good from God after a deathbed confession. This is mocking God at its worst. A person who has sown all manner of evil in their life should not expect to reap good in the afterlife. God is not mocked. You will receive what you have given. You will reap what you sow. Consider this parable that shows that a person will reap what they sow, and also shows how foolish the whole concept of a deathbed confession is, especially by one who does not mean it with sincerity.
  
  12 He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbours, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14)
- You reap what you sow, and as the parable above shows us, those who preach prosperity gospel for the purpose of personal gain have got it all wrong. The man in the parable above did not expect anything in return from those he shared, helped, and supported. He shared his abundance with them because it was the right thing to do. And he did not expect anything in return. The outcome of his generosity was what he reaped at the resurrection of the just; an eternal life with our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ and the Father.
Scripture: Galatians 6:8-9 – Good or evil, you reap what you sow.
- The thing about you will reap what you sow is all about how you live your life. This is a 24/7 process. Every minute, every second of every day, you are sowing and reaping. It isn’t something you can turn on or off. Whatever you are doing right now, or later today, or tomorrow, is what you are sowing. You are constantly sowing whether you know it or not. Did you help someone with an issue? You were sowing. Did you yell at someone who cut you off as you were driving? You were sowing. Did you get upset at your husband or wife? You were sowing. Did you give someone a surprise that you knew they would appreciate? You were sowing.
- Everything and in every minute of the day we are sowing. Whether we are doing what is good or evil, we are sowing. The point of these two verses is that you reap what you sow. Any time good or evil things happen to you, you may be reaping. If you have done something bad, treated someone shamefully or with disdain, then don’t be surprised if you are treated poorly in return. But also when you do good to others, without expecting anything in return, you will be more likely to receive a good reward for your love and generosity. And even if you don’t, the Lord will reward you, if not now, then certainly in His kingdom.
- If we sow to satisfy the desires of our flesh, thinking of ourselves selfishly and seeking to gratify our own desires, then we will reap corruption, evil, and the discipline or rejection of the Lord. But when we sow to the things of the Spirit, and consider the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians 5:22-24 as good examples of doing that, then we will reap good things from the Spirit in return. We will find the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control returned to us. You reap what you sow, so be sure to reap what is good in the sight of God.
Scripture: Galatians 6:10 – As we have opportunity.
- This is an important point. We do not need to go out looking for people to help. You don’t have to join an overseas mission to sow to the Spirit and the Lord. You can sow to the Spirit every day in your normal day to day life. In fact we should sow to the Spirit all of the time in our words, actions, deeds and thoughts.
- When we sow towards others, it should be as the opportunity arises. Opportunities come up all of the time to help those who need help. It may be as simple as assisting someone with lifting shopping into a car, helping with directions, or ensuring a child is safe. All of these are simple things we can do to sow good, as the opportunity arises.
- We are especially reminded to do good and sow to those who are our brothers and sisters in the Lord. The members of the household of faith are those we will be living with in the eternal kingdom of God. We should learn to sow good to and with them now. Help them to find their way. Encourage them and strengthen them. Pray for them as needed for the Lord to assist and intervene in their lives. Supply them with your surplus if they are in physical needs. And do all of this expecting nothing in return. This is the will of God and His will rests at the foundation of sowing and reaping.

Prayer Points:

Pray and ask the Lord to help you see opportunities to sow good seeds with those around you. Ask for God’s help to open your eyes to see the needs of those around you and to help them as you have opportunity.
Be prepared to assist as and when you can, and pray for the Lord to give you the insights and skills that may be needed to sow good seed, especially with your brethren in the church.