I love the fact that we still have a lot of agricultural land in Ventura County. I grew up on a farm in Western Canada. If we planted wheat, and the elements cooperated, we would eventually reap wheat. The same was true with barley, oats, and flax.
The Apostle Paul in Galatians 6:7-10 NLT wrote, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 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. 9 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. 10 Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
Note in particular, verse 7: Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. The same is also true of life. We will always reap what we sow.
I believe in life we can plant in one of two fields. We can plant in the realm of our fleshly nature. Paul wrote in verse 8: Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature.
In 1 John 2:15-16 NLT we read, “Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. 16 For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions….” So, we see what happens when we sow in the realm of our fleshly nature.
We can also choose to plant in the realm of our spiritual nature. In the last half of Galatians 6:8 NLT we read, “But those who live to please the Spirit (who indwells us) will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.”
In 1 John 2:17 NLT we read, “And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.”
The Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23 NLT wrote, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”
Let me draw some steadfast conclusions.
1. You will reap exactly what you sow.
2. You will reap exactly where you sow – either your fleshly nature or the Holy Spirit.
3. You will reap more than you sow. On our farm, we raised a lot of wheat. My dad always tried to plant good seeds and the more seed he planted to the acre the heavier the crop. You could plant a single kernel of wheat and watch it grow. When it is mature or ripe it will result in a full head of wheat with many kernels. You reap more than you sow.
4. The harvest comes later than when we plant. You don’t sow and reap the same day. Usually, the harvest comes later but it will come.
So, what kind of seed are you planting? Are you sowing to the flesh or the Spirit?
Paul in Galatians 6:7 NKJV wrote, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The word “mocked” is interesting It means to turn up one’s nose at someone. It can mean to depict scorn. That’s what the Pharisees did when they rejected His teaching. In Luke 16:14 NKJV we read, “they derided Him.” They mocked Him and scorned Him.
So, my brothers and sisters – are you sowing to the craving of the fleshly nature or are you sowing in the realm of the Spirit-committed to that which pleased God?
I pray that we will all sow to the realm of the Holy Spirit. God knows your heart and what kind of seed you are sowing. You will reap what you sow.
Let’s be sure to sow to please Him.
Pastor Leonard
