The Law of Sowing and Reaping

Although there are certain man made laws upon the earth that can be willingly broken, there are certain “laws” in the universe that cannot be overturned or broken. Take the “Law of Gravity” for instance. Most definitely, “What goes up must come down!” But there is a particular law that is of the upmost importance-the law of sowing and reaping.

When we hear the term or phrase, “Sowing and Reaping” we immediately begin to think of it in terms of finances. The Bible certainly teaches about “sowing and reaping” in the area of finances (2. Cor. 9) but it also goes beyond that arena as well.

How often do we think of the term “sowing and reaping” as it pertains to our words and actions? Do we believe that the “words” we sow into others or say out loud just fall to the ground? Do we believe our actions just “go away” even after they are played or lived out? Our words and actions can result in a harvest of great blessings or they can result in a harvest of destruction!

“Don’t be misled-you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone-especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:7-10)

If we believe that there is no blessing for our obedience to the Spirit or if we don’t believe that there are no consequences to our disobedience to the Spirit than we don’t understand the “justice of God”. God is good. God is love. God is merciful. But don’t forget that God is holy and is just as well. There is truly nothing we can “get away with” –either good or bad! Our obedience won’t go unnoticed by God nor will our disobedience carry no consequences. The fact that we have repented and confessed our sins doesn’t erase the fact that there will still come a harvest of either blessings or consequences from our words and actions. The fact that “I didn’t hurt anybody” doesn’t carry much weight with God!

As parents, do we understand that everyday of our lives we are “sowing” something into our children and teens? Does it not occur to us when we come home and undermine authority by speaking disrespectful that we are sowing rebellion into our children? When we speak openly and disrespectfully around our kids about the teacher that got on to them, the pastor that “didn’t call to check on them”, the political official that we don’t agree with—we are sowing into their lives—destruction! Rebellion! When they see us tell a “little white lie” or not be “completely honest” we are sowing deception into them!
There have been times where I have seen something come to fruition either in my wife or children that I knowingly sowed there! Now, I realized I was beginning to see a harvest I wasn’t pleased with. There have also been those times where we have faithfully and persistenly sowed, and sowed, God’s word into them and we began to see a righteous harvest begin to sprout into their young lives.

Timothy’s faithful mother and grandmother sowed into him as a young boy. (2. Tim. 1:5; 2 Tim. 3:15)

Consider the following examples from God’s word:

In Genesis chapter 20 Abraham deceived King Abimelech when he tried to deceive the King by hiding his wife Sarah’s identity. In doing this, he sowed this sin into his son Isaac who continued in his father’s footsteps when he too deceived King Abimelech! But guess what? It didn’t stop here! It carried into the third generation when Jacob, Abraham’s grandson and Isaac’s son, Jacob, lied and deceived to Isaac to steal his brother Esau’s blessing! Did it stop even there? No! Remember the story of Joseph? Jacob’s favorite son? He had brothers who lied and deceived there father Jacob into believing that Joseph and been brutally killed!

Exodus 20:5b says, “I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me.” You may say, “But I’m a Christian, I’ve accepted Jesus!” When we reject God’s word we are rejecting God’s way and since Jesus is the word who became flesh, we are rejecting him!

But there is good news! Exodus 20:6 goes on to say, “But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”

Just as there is consequences in our disobedience there are great blessings and rewards for those who obey God! When your words and actions you sow into your family are words and actions that are pleasing to God, there is no end to the blessings they will harvest!

So, sow righteousness into your family by saying and doing things that are pleasing to God!

What type of harvest will you see in your family?