By
Shelby G. Floyd
In the beginning, when the Almighty created the heavens and the earth, he established a rule or principle of life which is absolute, and which still holds true to this day; it is the law of sowing and reaping. God ordained that each species of the fauna and flora would always reproduce after their kind. For instance, in connection with the grass and herbs of the field, God said,
“Let the earth bring forth grass, The herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:11-12).
From that day till now, each species of grass, herbs and trees still produces after its kind: it is an absolute law which is true in every part of the world.
THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING
God established the same law among the creatures which have the oceans and the seas for their natural habitat. “And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that bath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good” (Genesis 1:20-21). While some species of animals that live in the seas and on the land have become extinct, it is still true that they produce after their kind as long as there are some of those animals left on the earth.
WE REAP WHAT WE SOW
On the sixth day of creation, God created every kind of cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and to this day all land animals still produce after their kind (Genesis 1:24-25.) This principle established in the natural realm is typical of the same law in the social, political, economic, educational and religious realms. A person will reap exactly what one sows; everything will produce after its kind. By inspiration, the peerless apostle Paul understood this law of God when he said to the Galatians,
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Galatians 6:7-9).
GOD CANNOT BE MOCKED
Any person who believes that one may sow one thing, and yet reap another, is self-deceived, and attempts to mock God. It is one thing to mock man, and it is another thing to mock God (Job 13:9). God cannot be mocked, that is, one cannot mock God without reaping the consequences. The reason God cannot be mocked is because whatever a man sows, that same thing shall he also reap.
PRINCIPLES OF SOWING AND REAPING
Let us notice several observations concerning the statement of Paul to the Galatians. First, we notice that a person will reap exactly the same kind of seed which is sown. The kind of seed we sow determines the kind of harvest we shall reap. For instance, in the parable of the sower Jesus stated that the seed is the word of God (Luke 8: 11). The word of God, if sown in the right kind of soil, will produce a Christian, a child of God.
In another parable Jesus stated that the devil, the enemy of God and all mankind, sows tares in the world. The tares were the children of the wicked one. The devil cannot sow tares and expect to reap children of God; neither does Jesus sow the good seed, the children of the kingdom, and expect to reap the children of the wicked one.
A person will reap exactly according to the kind of seed that is sown. We do not sow watermelon seed and expect to reap pumpkins! This is also true in the realm of our behavior and the way we conduct our lives. According to this principle, we read the following observation in the book of Job: “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same. By the blast of God they perish, and by the breath of his nostrils are they consumed” (Job 4:8-9). From the pen of the wise man Solomon, we read that: “He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity; and the rod of his anger shall fail” (Proverbs 22: 8).
Therefore the law of sowing and reaping is true in almost every realm of man’s life. That law is that we reap exactly what we sow. According to this principle therefore, one cannot sow deception and reap confidence, sow sparingly and reap bountifully, sow bad habits and reap good character, sow seeds of cruelty and reap a harvest of mercy, sow dissipation and reap a strong body, sow gossip and retain one’s friends and sow neglect of the great salvation and go to heaven. Still though many people believe that there are exceptions to this law, and that one does not necessarily reap what one sows. Someone asked this very pointed question, “Do you sow wild oats Monday through Saturday and pray for a crop failure on Sunday?” Of course it wouldn’t do any good to pray because the law is what we sow we reap.
The second observation which we make concerning Paul’s statement to the Galatians is that one reaps more than he sows. In the parable of the sower Jesus spoke of the word of God, sown in good soil, as bringing forth 30, 60 and a 100 fold. That simply means that one grain of seed would produce 30, 60 or 100. This indicates then that in the natural, moral and spiritual world, one will always reap more than he sows whether it is for good or for bad. In the words of Hosea, when one sows the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind (Hosea 8:7). In this connection, C. D. Boardman has made the following observations:
“The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act and you reap a habit, sow a habit and you reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny.”
It is always true that a person will reap more than he sows.
The law of seedtime and harvest according to the inspired word of God is immutable and will continue as long as the earth continues!
“As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
—Genesis 8:22
In view of all this, let every Christian sow to the Spirit and reap of the Spirit life everlasting.
Copyright © 2016 Shelby G. Floyd, All Rights Reserved
Shelby G. Floyd
Heartland Church of Christ
1693 West Main Street
Greenwood, Indiana 46142
