WHAT ARE WE SOWING AND WHAT ARE WE REAPING?

My ears are buzzing with all the ‘rich’ talk they are hearing today. I see many follow many different rich talkers and speakers so others can become rich themselves. I understand them, I want to be rich too, but rich with what, how rich do I want to be, and for what reason? I believe what we are rich in, how much do we want, and the reason we want to be, are all test if we truly are at peace with who we are and find rest for our souls. As always I go to God, my Heavenly Father, through His Son, by way of His gift of His Holy Spirit, the third person of God, for my test and answers to find His peace and rest for my soul. They sound like three people, but truly they operate through One God by way of One Spirit, and that One Holy Spirit is given to all who hear, receive, and accept Him as their Lord and Savior.

2 Corinthians 9:6

Remember this: Who ever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and who ever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

As always let’s break it down so we can fully understand this message in the deepest way He intends us to receive it.

First God teaches us through Paul in His letter to the Corinthians what God’s Holy Spirit desires us to follow within ourselves. He tells us what ever we have been given in blessings, gifts, word, or work from God, who ever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and who ever sows generously will also reap generously.

What is sowing and reaping, and what does it have to do with being rich?

Sow, sows, or sowing means to scatter, plant, implant, introduce or sprinkle with anything.

This means we can sow a word, plan, idea, a work, money, behaviors, love, joy, anger, pride, envy, jealousy, integrity, godliness, sin, vanity, or lawlessness every single day we are living on this earth.

Reap, reaps, or reaping means to cut in order to harvest. Harvest means to gather anything that has been planted or sown. It means gain, or reward. Example: They have finally reaped a harvest from all their all their hard work. If we were going to use reaping and sowing in a sentence we would write or speak, “Judy has finally reaped a harvest from all the sowing she has done.”

Let’s test what we are sowing? Are we sowing sinful behaviors, by living sinful lives? Are we sowing a life full of alcohol as a coping method, sexual immorality as the way to prove our love for one another, and material possessions as the way we prove our success? Do we sow other philosophies to live by other than the Word of God? Do we sow our own works as the inspiration to motivate others? I see a lot of people today helping other people with their ways, wisdom, and good works but they have no love of God in their hearts. Many are sowing in vain and many are sowing to inspire others to sow what they want to sow for their own benefit.  Are we sowing His Words, His Wisdom and His Ways through His Holy Spirit? Are we sowing a life that pleases God more than mankind and this world? Are we sowing His truth and His love that can change anyone? Are we sowing the gospel message through His Words and by living them out through His Work, plan and Will He give us. Are we sowing a life that gives Him glory and praise far all we have been given to share?

Let’s test what we are reaping from what we have sown? Are we reaping a huge amount of material possessions, far more than what we need? Are we reaping popularity from sowing a sinful life? Are we reaping a great number of people accepting our sinful nature and sinful lives? Are we reaping many who follow other philosophies other than the Word of God? Are we reaping great job opportunities, wealth and popularity because we live the way we want to live regardless of what God thinks? Are we reaping more Christless friends than Christlike friends?  Are we reaping more and more Christlike friends? Are we reaping more and more people being drawn to Christ due what He has sown through us?

Whatever we sow sparingly we will also reap sparingly, and whatever we sow generously we will also reap generously. Look at our lives and ourselves and see what we are sowing sparingly or generously and what we are reaping sparingly and generously?

Those we are truly in Christ will sow what He sowed through His Holy Spirit and who ever is not in Christ will sow whatever they are sowing, and their lives will prove it by what they are reaping. This is proven by the next words, each person should decide within his own heart what to give, plant or sow, and each will reap what ever they are giving, planting or sowing. If a person is giving from the heart of God through His Holy Spirit they will always be giving with a cheerful heart, if they are not, it is not Him in their heart giving them the desires to give.

 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

God’s next words written and spoken through Paul tells us what God is able to do when we are sowing what He gives us to sow through His Holy Spirit we received by crucifying ourselves spiritually at the Cross of Christ so His resurrected power could sow in and through us. God is able to make all grace abound to us (God’s unmerited favor) so that in all things at all times we will have what we need and abound in every good work He gives us to do throughout our lives.

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

The next key word that was written in God’s Word in the Old Testament is poor.

Psalm 112:9“He has scattered aboard his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.”

Paul often draws from God’s wisdom in the Old Testament, just like Jesus, the Word of God did, because God is the same God in the Old testament as He is in Paul’s present life. He is the same God today and will be for eternity. Read all of Psalm 112 and you may get a deeper understanding the difference between those who are poor in spirit and who are not.

All of the sudden Paul goes from an abundant life of grace to the poor. How can poor people reveal an abundant life? Why would God give gifts to poor people and not the rich? Because they are poor in Spirit. The wicked are never poor in spirit, they thrive in who they are, and they are very proud of themselves. They love to glorify themselves and all their good works and they love others glorify them for all their works. They admire their own righteousness and righteous ways. They inspire people through all their good works. They have a great deal of pride in their works and their deeds. They work to inspire others to follow in their footsteps’ They will always have faith in themselves and think all they have is due to the work of their own hands. They will love the pleasures of this world and all their possessions will increase and they will never be satisfied. They will all come to nothing in the sight of God.

I know because I use to live as one without God and without knowing Him personally, and I thrived at being who I was through my own righteousness but I was deep in sin. I was taught to rely on myself for all I had. I was taught I could make all things possible by my own power and will.  I was very ignorant of knowing His truth, and I was brought up in a church environment. If it was not for Him telling me the truth late in life through a person who had a true relationship with Him I would not know the true peace that goes beyond my own understanding and the true rest He alone can give my soul. If we are not poor in spirit we will never get any gifts from God or know Him at all. It is His gifts and righteousness that endure forever not our own. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom in Heaven."

The next message within this message is very important if you and I want to fully receive all He has for us through His measure of grace. If we remain poor in Him He will increase His supply in us, and He tells us we will be rich in every way so we can be generous on every occasion someone ask us for help if and when we remain poor in spirit. In other words, He is the Great storekeeper supplying us all we need to sow and reap a harvest righteousness and wealth for all we need. Why? Why would God make us rich in every way? Is it for ourselves, is it for others, or is it to give Him glory in who He is in our lives? Is it to draw people to us so we can inspire others to be like us? Is it to glorify Him so He can inspire others to be like His Son? Who are we thanking for all this sowing and reaping we are doing? Who are we thanking for all we have been given to sow and reap for our spiritual and material harvest? It is our expression of thanks to God for all we have.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

 Those who are living to sow and reap to please Him will share all they have with others because that is how they express their thankfulness to God for all they have. They receive grace from God not from people, not from the world, not from their work, not from the own righteousness, but grace from God and that is how those who have received grace from God receive more grace from Him by giving more and more to others. They will receive all the gifts and fruit of His Holy Spirit. They will be given the same spiritual blessing and provisions Christ received, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Ruth, Naomi, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, and Noah. Those who are led by His Holy Spirit express their love for God by sowing all He gives them in spreading the gospel and their material needs by using their own lives to prove who He is. What we reap from all He gives to us to sow we never know but we know we will be given what we need. Because He proves it through the faith He gives. God also speaks through Paul about reaping and sowing in a letter to the Galatians, the believers in the city of Galatia. He tells theme and us we will reap a harvest if we do not give up, and these words are written in our hearts and gives us His perseverance that keeps us always sowing what He gives us to sow.  

Galatians 6:7-10 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man (human) reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good (God’s good) for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, lest us do good (God’s good) to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Are we poor so we can become rich in Him in all the ways He gives us so you will have all we need to share on every occasion He gives us, or are you rich in yourselves and all the material possession we have received are by our own good deeds and the work of our own hands or the hands of others? Are we possessing a great deal more material possessions then we need to live an abundant life? Are we living to please our sinful natures or are we living to please God by living to please His Holy Spirit and what He desires? We all need to look at our own hearts and decide for ourselves. What are we rich in, how are we using what we have been given, and why? We can answer now and begin pleasing Him, or if we are we can continue. We don't know our future and when He will call us home. We can wait and answer Him face to face. I am fully certain we will not have any chance to begin pleasing Him then because our lives will be over. It is much better to be a sick dog than a dead lion.

He tells us through out His Holy Word if we do not live to please Him our souls and spirit will be placed by Him in Hell for His purpose of creating a Holy Heaven and Earth. He will tell those who do not live to please Him they were given the way to follow through His Son while they were alive, but ignored. He knows what we are sowing and reaping, how we are sowing and reaping , and why we are sowing and reaping what we have been given more than any person, even ourselves. Wake up shower and reaper! If you want to please Him, begin now!