Sow What?

By Pastor Dan Hickling

“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”—Galatians 6:7 (NKJV) 

Our universe is governed by God; He has established a set of laws that maintain a certain order and structure that He desires and we need. 

For example, the law of gravity is something He’s put into place in our physical world that gives us a fixed reference to live by. We can get out of bed, walk to the kitchen, drive to work or school, and reliably go about our routines because the law of gravity is there to keep us from flying off earth’s surface. 

God has also established a series of spiritual laws just as real and certain. In today’s verse, Paul references the law of sowing and reaping. In agrarian times, when this was written, the concept of sowing and reaping was second nature. People planted certain seeds and depended on those seeds growing into certain crops in order to survive. The seed you put into the ground turned into something specific and reliable. 

This also carries over into the spiritual realm of life. Just as a field comes to be defined by the seeds planted in it, a person’s life will be defined by what they implant in their lives. What you put in is what you’ll get out, but in greater abundance. This is an unbreakable spiritual law that God has established, and watch how Paul adds another layer of truth to it: “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” (Galatians 6:8 NKJV).

Don’t miss the importance of that! If we are all about sowing and investing in unspiritual things, we aren’t going to get a spiritual result. But if we’re continually filling our lives with the things of God, we can be confident of experiencing everlasting life with Him. In other words, there are eternal consequences attached to the law of sowing and reaping.

So, what are we to do with this? Quite simply, take it seriously and sow wisely. The fallen human nature likes to challenge and contend against the laws God has established. But this is a mistake, because He’s established them for our benefit! And when observed, they direct us in the way we’re to go—the way that doesn’t lead to destruction but to everlasting life. 

May we respect the law of sowing and reaping, and sow wisely!

DIG: How would you put the law of sowing and reaping in your own words?

DISCOVER: How have you seen this spiritual law at work in our own life?

DO: Consider how the Lord wants you to respond to this law.