Sowing and Reaping

Galatians 6:7-9:
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Often times we focus on the spiritual negatives taught here; you sow seeds of wickedness, you will reap wickedness. We all recognize that as a fundamental truth. But often in the Gospel when a negative is spoken of, a positive is mentioned as well, and this is no exception. A great positive spiritual reminder is found here. You sow good things, and continue to focus on it, you will reap great things.

Every year I get a practical hands on lesson in sowing and reaping. I understand, quite well, how hard work, perseverance, planning, and proper knowledge can translate into a successful harvest. Every year we try to put in the absolute most amount of work possible. Today we put our first application of fertilizer over half of our field, and covered it up. Putting out fertilizer isn't easy, nor cheap. In fact, we pay a hefty price to make our plants vigorous and our watermelons big. What we hope is that all our hard work will eventually pay off with a good crop.

Now, obviously, in this world the principle of sowing and reaping isn't absolute, at least in one sense. Due to circumstances beyond your control, you can do everything right and still not make a crop. Since the sin of Eve and then Adam, the ground is cursed. We fight against thorns and thistles, disease and harsh weather, and therefore we know failure is always a possibility. We can sow much good, and never reap. It's not a sure thing, and that is something which every farmer eventually learns the hard way.

However, spiritually this principle is absolute. If we put in the effort, pay the price so to speak, and keep on working through all adversity we will reap eternal life. What a wonderful assurance. God has made a covenant with us, and God has never broken a covenant. If we keep up our end of the bargain our God is faithful (Deuteronomy 7:9).

Another difference between the spiritual and physical here is the outlook. Often we have a very short-term outlook. With farming you expect results in 2-3 months, if that immediate outcome isn't positive then your work is often deemed a failure. Spiritually, our goal is more long term. We may not see immediate results as we would like to see them. However if we "faint not" we will reap. And that is a sure thing.