Sowing And Reaping
Genesis 8:22 - While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.
God has established some natural principles in His universe that are unbending. Certain things happen with consistency. When Isaac Newton observed an apple falling from a tree, it struck him that an apple never fell upwards. It was always being pulled downward. Thus we had the recognition of the law of gravity.
God has written natural laws into His creation such as the "Laws of Gravity" or the "Laws of Thermodynamics." The fact that someone does not believe in these laws, does not prove that they do not exist or that they do not work.
Just as there are laws of nature that govern the universe, there are also moral and spiritual laws that God has written into His creation. We can try and ignore God’s laws that are given to govern our lives, but we will end up bringing about our ruin if we ignore God's counsel.
Sowing and reaping and giving and receiving are financial laws that will always govern the spiritual world and these laws operate whether we know about them or not.
The Bible teaches us that the earth is going to remain forever. It may undergo a change as it has in the past, but it will remain forever. If we believe this, then we must believe that seedtime and harvest will remain with us forever into eternity. If we do not understand this principle now we will not appropriate it in eternity.
The laws apply to everyone. If a rich farmer and a poor farmer sow the same amount of seed in the same soil they will receive the same size harvest. If a male farmer and a female farmer sow the same amount of seed they will receive the same size harvest.
The laws of sowing and reaping are there for our benefit but we must activate the laws to work in our favor.
Most of the Bible was originally written to people familiar with working the land, managing livestock, and raising crops. Many of Jesus’ parables involved the farming life. Not surprisingly, then, the Bible contains many references to sowing and reaping, and here are some of the principles we learn:
Sowing and reaping is a law of the natural world and the spiritual world and is much more than just an agricultural principle. Sowing and reaping is an important principle imparting wisdom for both this world and the next.
Investment returns in God’s Kingdom
We need to re-evaluate our time, talent, and tithe. Everything we are doing right now is either an investment in spiritual things or in our flesh. Sowing seed into God’s Kingdom is the best investment you can make because the returns cannot be matched anywhere else in the world.
We are encouraged to invest as much as possible in order to receive an abundant harvest.
The investment principles of the world's economy are based on the fundamentals of scarcity and demand but this does not apply to the economy of the Kingdom of God.
In the world, the fundamental driving force of the economy is scarcity, but the economy of the Kingdom of God is based on abundance and availability because there is an abundant source of everything we truly need in life.
There are many supernatural ways God can bless you in your finances.
1. The non-return
Matthew 25:24-29 - Then he who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.' But his lord answered and said to him, 'You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents. For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.
2. The double return
Matthew 25:20,22 - "So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' Matthew 25:22 - He also who had received two talents came and said, 'Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.' “
3. The 30, 60,100 fold return
Matthew 13:8 - But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
4. The 1000 fold return
Deuteronomy 1:11 - May the Lord God of your fathers’ make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!
5. The 3000 fold return
Acts 2:41 - Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
6. The 5000 fold return
John 6:10 - Then Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
7. The billion fold return
Genesis 22:17 - Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
The laws of sowing
A seed according to the Bible is not just an agricultural seed but anything that can be planted and eventually multiply.
Seed can be something that is physical and also spiritual. Seed comes in many forms. For example, the Bible tells us that faith is a seed. We know that faith in its seed form has the potential of producing things that are beyond our imagination. Seed can therefore have many definitions. An idea that you have in your mind can be a seed that can lead to something that has never been created before. Your money is also a seed.
We have all been called to prosper and to have abundance of all things. God has set these principles in place for all eternity. All we need to do is sow.
A seed also represents new beginnings. A new decision that you have made for your life can result in something that is good in the future. Everything begins with a seed. If you want to start something new you will have to find the seed that represents where you want to go. It can either be a physical seed or a spiritual seed.
Our responsibility is to sow and it is God’s responsibility to provide the harvest.
1. God gives seed to the sower
2 Corinthians 9:10 - Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.
When God created Adam, He gave him the ability to grow and multiply.
Everything we see with the natural eye begins with a seed and God supplies us with the seed to sow. Everything belongs to God including the seed.
2. The seed must be planted
John 12.24 - Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.
Sowing is the process of planting seeds for later harvest and production. IF the seed is not planted, it will not produce anything.
If a farmer refuses to sow he cannot expect to reap. If he fears the sunshine or rain, and refuses to sow, he cannot expect to harvest anything. Likewise if we allow the circumstances around us to prevent us from giving, we cannot expect to be blessed.
Remember, the seed must be sown. Many Christians desire to multiply their wealth but hold too tight to their seed, therefore they never see the reality of the potential of their seed.
A seed has three states. It is either producing, or it is dormant, or it is dead and can never produce anything. A seed can lie dormant in a barn for many years, but can start producing the moment it is planted into the ground.
If there is no seed, there cannot be life. Many people spend a lot of time and energy expecting things to happen for them. Remember, if there is no seed in the ground, there will be no harvest.
3. Plant your seed in good ground
Matthew 13:8 - But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty
You must plant your seed in good ground if you want a bigger harvest.
4. The seed produces after its own kind
Genesis 1:11 - Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth"; and it was so.
The seed you plant is what you are will harvest so therefore plant what you expect to harvest. For example, if you sow an apple seed it will eventually produce an apple tree that brings forth multiplied apples. If you sow an orange seed you will reap oranges, not apples.
This farming principle is so familiar to us that we can easily overlook its application to everyday life. Everything reproduces after its own kind and when we plant money in good ground it will reap a money harvest. If we want good and happy relationships we will need to sow seeds of kindness and love. Though this principle you can exercise power over your future. What you will be tomorrow will depend on what you do today. The seeds you sow today will produce a harvest in the future not just for you, but also for your children and grand-children.
As the saying goes, “Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny.”
Galatians 6:7 - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.
5. Determine the size of your harvest when you sow
2 Corinthians 9:6 - But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
You establish your harvest size when you sow your seed. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will only reap a small crop. If he plants much, he will reap much.
Always sow to your harvest size, not from your harvest size. Sow in proportion to what you need and not what you lack.
6. Render the seed useless
Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 - Cast your bread upon the waters, For you will find it after many days.
Once you have planted, allow the seed to do its job. Do not dig it up to find out how it is doing.
But never give up on your seed. If you planted something years ago it still has power today. While it is still in the ground it has power and that is why you should not give up on your seed. The power remains there.
7. A seed always produces something
Genesis 1:12 - And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Whatever seed you sow will always produce something. It will produce a harvest and will produce after its own kind. The seed you plant will determine what you are going to harvest.
The seed is the source of life and there is no alternative to a seed. There is no short cut. If you want something, find the seed of what you want, and plant it.
8. The seed is the future
Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
What you plant today you will harvest in the future. So many people consult fortune tellers so that someone can tell them the future, but when you look at your seed, you are able to look into the future.
We can determine our own future depending on how we apply the principle of seedtime and harvest.
The seed can ensure that we will enjoy abundance and prosperity in the future. We can determine our future by sowing the right seeds today.
If you need finances tomorrow you need to plant your seed of finances today because your seed will determine your harvest.
9. The seed must not be eaten
Ecclesiastes 11:6 - In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.
Nutritionists tell us that although the seed may look like food, it can harm your stomach because it contains poisons. Seed must be planted and not eaten.
If a farmer eats the seed there will be nothing to put into the ground the following year and there will be no harvest.
10. Sowing must be ongoing
Psalms 126:6 - He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Do not stop sowing seed. It must be a lifestyle and become a habit. You cannot sow seed once and expect to be blessed. Sowing seed and reaping a harvest is a continuous cycle.
11. Seed crushes Satan’s head
Genesis 3:15 - And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel."
Satan and his evil forces will continually try to harass and torment God’s children. One of the most powerful ways to confront your enemy in spiritual warfare is to sow a seed, because it is the seed that crushes the head of Satan. You can rebuke the devil but it is a seed that will crush his head. What does it mean to crush his head? It means that it crushes his power and authority over you.
The devil has no right to mess with our lives, our families, and finances. Whenever negative situations present themselves, I take money and I sow a seed. It always works for me. It hurts my pocket but it solves the problem. At times we have to pay a price to get rid of the problem. Satan cannot speak against you with his mouth when you crush his head with a seed.
12. Seed attracts God’s attention
Isaiah 30:23 - Then he will give the rain for your seed with which you sow the ground, and bread of the increase of the earth; it will be fat and plentiful. In that day your cattle will feed in large pastures.
God does His part because He honors seed. God is always willing to help us, but He also looks for seed. God cannot multiply nothing. Nothing multiplied by one hundred equals nothing.
A seed causes God to invade your world. It gives Him permission to intervene on your behalf. He will suddenly show up and people will wonder why you are so blessed. All they see is the blessing. God is not a respecter of persons – He respects seeds. You can be an ordinary person with an ordinary education, but you can excel above and beyond those that have been given better opportunities than you because of your seed. God will promote you ahead of others.
I have sowed continuously throughout my life and attribute everything that I have today to seeds that I have sown.
If you are experiencing a low point in your life, whether it is family troubles, sickness, or finances, sow a seed and believe God for a miracle. God will certainly do His part because He respects seed.
From today, start out by becoming seed-conscious knowing that God wants to build something beautiful in your life. Never go anywhere without seed that you can sow.
The laws of reaping
1. We reap what we sow
Galatians 6:7-8 - Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We reap in kind to what we sow and our harvest is a reflection of our past. If we sowed apple seeds in the past, we will reap apples today.
As the saying goes, “What goes around comes around.” Every action has a reaction. What goes up must come down. These are all universal laws, laws that affect your life. It means we reap only what we sow.
This principle works both positively and negatively. Our reaping results from what was planted either for either good or evil. For example, if we sowed anger should expect to receive what anger naturally produces.
If we sowed to the Spirit, we reap of the Spirit. If we sow to the flesh, we reap of the flesh. If we sow evil, we will reap evil.
Who we are today is a result of the seeds we sowed yesterday. Our position, action, character, personality, and attitude are all a result of our past thoughts and actions.
2. We reap more than what we sow
Matthew 13:8 - But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
This law is related to the law of multiplication. For example, One grain of wheat produces a whole head of grain. Your harvest can result in a blessing to last a lifetime.
The harvest is always greater than the seed planted. If this were not the case, no farmer would ever plant a thing. The farmer who sows the seed has the expectation to reap a ratio of more than just "one to one" and intend to reap more that was has sown.
We invariably reap more than has been sown. This fact is both serious and sobering, and it applies equally to the Christian and the unbeliever.
Whatever a person sows, whether good or bad, that person will reap the benefits or the consequences in a significantly greater proportion.
Reaping more than we sow is fundamental to the laws of the harvest and this is not just true for the agricultural world, it is true for nearly every aspect of life - for the physical and the spiritual, for believers and unbelievers alike.
3. We reap proportionately to what we sow
2 Corinthians 9:6 - But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
This law identifies the quantity of the harvest to the proportion that has been sown and can be viewed as God’s part whereas this law is viewed as our part. What we reap today depends on how much we sowed yesterday.
We are blessed proportional to our giving. Someone once said “We get as good as we give." It means the more we give, the more God gives back in return.
Every farmer recognizes that the size of the harvest is directly proportionate to the amount of seed sown. The farmer who sows seed sparingly will reap a meager harvest and the one who sows bountifully will reap a great harvest.
The more seed planted, the more fruit harvested. The Bible applies this law to our giving. Those who show generosity will be blessed more than those who do not.
4. We reap in a different season than we sow
Ecclesiastes 3:1 - To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
Galatians 6:9 - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
James 5:7 -Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
In farming terms, the harvest never comes immediately after planting. This is true in the physical realm and in the spiritual realm. There is seed time and there is harvest time just as there is summer and there is winter.
The harvest always comes in a different season from the planting of the seed. In spiritual terms the harvest comes in God’s time.
We always reap in a different season than when we sowed. You sow in one season and then you reap the benefit in another season.
If you plant a seed today and dig it up tomorrow, you will not find a difference. But if you let it settle, slowly it will grow and produce. That’s the faith portion of the waiting period in God’s economy.
Nothing good grows overnight. We need to exercise patience for the time between planting and reaping because no harvest comes the moment the seed is planted, but it must wait for God's appointed time.
Nothing good grows overnight. The farmer must be patient in order to see the fruit of his labors it suggests a length of time.
If we are impatient, it may result in an immature harvest. For example, unripe fruit can be quite toxic. Respect the time between sowing and reaping. Many Christians want to reap very soon after they have given. Your harvest will come in the right season and will come at the proper time when God deems it fit to release it to you.
5. We must not delay to harvest
James 5:7 -Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain.
Delayed harvest generally reduces the quality and quantity of yields. So many Christians forget about the seed they have sown. Expect a harvest and always be ready to receive it. We must sow so that we can reap.
Never stop praying for your harvest and never stop looking out for it.
6. We must share the harvest with others
Ruth 2:2 - So Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor." And she said to her, "Go, my daughter."
Always leave something for someone else to enjoy. Make provision for others to receive from God’s overflowing blessing upon you. Even though it could be considered small or insignificant, it could be their harvest!
Ruth gleaned in the field of the rich Boaz during harvest. Harvest times are the most important periods of the year in Israel. It is common to see poor people searching on harvested fields for left over, usually low grade products that are deemed not profitable and left behind by field workers and was permitted by the farmer.
God sometimes blesses people because He knows so many others will benefit from that person.
God does not do his things without a purpose. He blessed Joseph and made him a source of refuge for his brethren during famine.
David shared the harvest of his raid on Ziklag with his army including those that did not go with him to battle. As such, he won their dedication and allegiance.
7. We must keep part of the harvest for sowing again
Psalm 126:6 - He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him.
In order to ensure that we continually reap God’s blessings, we must sow continually. The seed must come from the harvest.
8. We keep part of the harvest for ourselves
Proverbs 10:22 - The blessing of the Lord makes one rich and He adds no sorrow with it.
Psalm 35:27 - Let the Lord be magnified, Who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.
God is not opposed to riches. In fact, He is the originator of financial blessings.
There are those who teach that Christians should have limited possessions, but the Bible clearly teaches something different. God wants us to have an abundance of all things and that is why He instituted the laws of sowing and reaping, so that we can in prosperity and have enough for our own needs and to be a source of blessing to others
