Reap What You Sow

by Brandy Webb

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return (Galatians 6:7).

I have heard this point all my life, and yes, when I have sowed non-righteous “seeds,” I reaped the consequences. I was one of those children that couldn’t get away with anything. I got caught very quickly. As an adult, I have to say, I still reap quick consequences when I make mistakes. I am definitely not perfect. 

I know that this scripture means to watch what type of “seeds” that we are sowing because we may not like the harvest we reap from them if they are not good seeds. The problem is, when people try to use this for judging others, like Job’s friends did to him saying that he must have a committed sin because of all the bad things happening to him. However, Job hadn’t done anything wrong, which actually reveals that bad things can happen to good people.

Another problem is in trying to use this scripture to prove the prosperity false doctrine of doing good and God will bless you abundantly. The truth is, we may be striving to live a righteous life, yes with mistakes here and there because we all sin and fall short to the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but we are trying to live a life of service, love, caring, patience, giving, etc., yet suffering from one trial after another. We must not lose heart and give up if we aren’t seeing the “reaping” that we thought we would have, because the harvest may not be for us in this life.

Let’s look closer at this scripture in Galatians with the other scriptures that go with it:

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return. The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest, if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith (Galatians 6:7-10).

Paul is giving the Galatians and us some really great advice. Do not cease from doing good because what is important is not this life but our eternal lives. Here is a man that knew and understood all about trials, tribulations, persecutions, and sufferings even when he was serving, evangelizing, healing, teaching, and loving God’s people. He didn’t give up doing good because he knew that the eternal reward would make all the bad things in this life worth it.

One may say, “Well, he had to also go through some sufferings because he sinned against God’s people when he was Saul.” Maybe; however, it still doesn’t mean that if we try to live “perfect” lives we will reap awesome things right now. Look at Christ; He was perfect. He didn’t deserve any of the things that He suffered. However, He loves us so much that He felt it was worth sacrificing Himself, so that we could live in eternity with Him. He also wants to reward us then based on how we use our talents for good now (Matthew 25:14-30).

I know it isn’t easy, but if we keep the faith and our eyes on the Kingdom of God, He will strengthen us to endure whatever life throws at us. Remember: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12).

We have a great group of those before us that suffered for Christ’s sake. They didn’t give up, and they held to the faith that all things will work out for good for those that love God (Romans 8:23). We just may have to wait for the Kingdom to experience the good harvest of the seeds that we are sowing right now. Therefore, don’t give up in doing good, even if, it may seem that nothing good is coming from your sowing. We should be looking for our future reward and not the tangible ones in this life. Our main goal is to get into the Kingdom of God and hear these awesome words “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!” (Jesus—Matthew 25:23).