Principles of Sowing and Reaping

Heart Of A Giver Series

by Joe Bogue

 

      Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. Gal 6:7 (KJV)  In the context of Galatians, Paul is writing about sowing to the flesh and to the Spirit.  He goes on to share what you will reap, whether it is corruption or life everlasting.  Sowing and reaping are terms that we hear on a regular basis in charismatic circles.  You can turn on any Christian TV station and hear someone speaking to you about it.  Let's look as some principles of sowing and reaping, so we can get greater insight into God's plan for our lives. 

God Established Sowing and Reaping from the Beginning

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.  Gen 8:22 (KJV)

      Since the creation God established the method by which all things would grow, multiply, and prosper.  Genesis 1:11,12,21,24,25 all speak of how nature reproduces after its "own kind."

      This was not an after thought.  It is not an Old Testament nor a New Testament principle.  It is a Kingdom principle.  He made sowing and reaping a law of the universe.  You can count on it as much as you count on gravity, inertia, or any other law of physics.  Sowing and reaping are forever established in our dimension of existence.  As we follow the progression of the Children of Israel out of Egypt into the Promised Land, we see how God changed His mode of operation from giving "just enough" each day through the manna to "more than enough" by sowing and reaping.  It was never God's intention to give us just enough.  God is not just "getting by" this week.  He is not living month to month.  He is an overabundant, overflowing God, who lacks nothing. He never intended for His children to wander for forty years, but their rebellious and unbelieving hearts would not allow them to enter into God's promises.  God's will is that you would have more than enough.

Reaping Is Proportionate to the Sowing

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.  2 Cor 9:6 (KJV)

      It is important to know that our reaping is proportionate to our giving. This is a real heart check for all of us.  We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others.  Sometimes it is just flat out hard to "rejoice with those who rejoice." Rom 12:15 (KJV)  We feel that the returns should be equal somehow, but many times they are not.  Sometimes we can feel as if God loves someone else more than us because of their harvest when in fact they may have sown more. If we have 40 acres and sow on only 20 acres, we will reap from the 20 acres - that is a given.  The problem comes when we compare our 20 acre harvest with our neighbor’s 50 acre harvest.  Even if we used the same seed, same soil, same sun, and same rain we will reap in proportion to what we sow.  In other words, you can be in the same church, same anointing, same faith, same revelation and reap sparingly because you sowed sparingly. I've seen so many people get this revelation of sowing and develop a lifestyle of giving.  The flow isn't always in huge amounts, but consistency brings the abundance and bountiful reaping.

Sow With the Right Heart

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.  2 Cor 9:7

      God does not need our finances.  He doesn't need our money.  He knows we need to learn how to give.  We must constantly check our hearts to make sure we're not just doing it out of religious obligation, but out of our relationship with the Almighty,  "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart." God wants us to give with purpose and vision.   We know that people perish for lack of vision. (Prv 29:18)  He wants us to take the time and find His mind and will for our giving.  "So let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity"  We should not give out of "bitter obedience" or "manipulation" but with joy and rejoicing in Him.  Some people will give, but they hate the fact that they have to give.  Some are manipulated into giving.  I'm not talking about when faith rises in your heart.  I'm talking about the blatant usury of the Gospel to finance men’s kingdoms.  Men who make "merchandise" (2Pet 2:3) of the things of God.  Obedience is the key.  Listen to what God tells you and then do it.  When God says, "every man,” He's not just talking about the leadership.   He's speaking to all believers.  Strong’s definition of  "cheerful" is "hilaros" (hil-ar-os')  propitious or merry ("hilarious"), i.e. prompt or willing: We need to be hilarious givers. . . completely merry, joyful, rejoicing, prompt to do it givers whose hearts are in our giving. (Amplified)  

      Sowing a seed financially doesn't always mean you will reap a financial harvest if you have a different purpose in your heart.  I want to share a personal story about purposing in your heart.  Several years ago we were having some physical problems with our youngest son, Michael.  We couldn't understand why his speech was so slurred and mumbled.  After going to the doctors several times, they finally realized that he had water on his ears.  We went in and had tubes put into his ears and his articulation immediately improved.  Now the problem was he was so far behind in school that it was extremely difficult to function or keep up with the class.  We sought the Lord for him and the situation.  Should we put him in private school, home school, or keep on in public school?  The Lord told us to sow a seed.  We prayed for the amount and God answered.  Of course it wasn't anything that we had in our checking account, so we made "payments" on the amount that God told us. We paid on our "vows" (Ps 116:14) every week for three months and what a joy it was to complete it.  We weren't happy just because we didn't have to give anymore, we rejoiced in fulfilling the Word of God concerning our son.  Now we didn't just sit on our laurels with Michael.  We helped him study, do projects, read books, and everything else that comes with raising a family.  And now, I have watched my son go from special education classes to honors classes.  He is a fine young man and excelling in whatever he puts his hand to.  I want to encourage you to give with a purpose. You may not have all that you want to give at that time and that's OK.  Pay your “vow” to the Lord and watch how God will take your seed and bring you a great harvest. 

(pastorjoe@graceinternational.org or www.graceinternational.org