Text:              Galatians 6:7

By:                 Emakpor, Jeremiah (Deacon)

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Whatever you sow is what you reap” is a remark usually made when a man is at the receiving end of what he has been doing or had done to others in the past. An armed robber who is caught and executed is said to have reaped what he has sown. In other words, the robber has killed with a gun and so has to die by a gun.

This implies that the robber has experienced or suffered the consequences of his action. It is a similar case of who lives by the sword dies by the sword (Gen. 9:6, Matt. 26:52, Rev. 13:10).

Use in this sense, this statement of whatever-you-sow-is-what-you-reap does not refer to the physical activity of farm work, though a comparison could be made between the two.

Rather, it is a metaphorical expression which literally means that there are consequences to every of our actions or deeds, good or bad, which we experience with time.

This reality of life is stated in the word of God thus: “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).

It’s a natural law that is referred to as the law of cause and effect by some religious bodies, or Karma by others. It simply means that whatever happens to a man, good or bad, is the result of what he has done.

As is the characteristic of the Bible, the word of God used an expression related to an earthly activity of farming for a clearer and better understanding of this natural law of sowing and reaping. This is one of the instances of using earthly things to portray heavenly ones for easy understanding.

Indeed, our deeds are like the seeds planted by a farmer that will later germinate and produce food for harvest. We reap the fruits of our planted seeds, which are the consequences of our actions, in due time.

We reap in kind to what we sow. At harvest, a farmer reaps what he has sown. He cannot sow a corn and reap groundnut at the time of harvest. In the same vein, a man cannot do evil and receive good as a reward. Your input ultimately determines your outcome: planting good seeds in the form of good habits, kindness, and hard work brings positive results, while negativity or harmful actions yield consequences matching those deeds (Gal. 6:8, Hosea 10:12-13).

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Gal. 6:8).

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12).

“Ye have plowed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way……” (Hosea 10:13). 

Every time we choose an action, we also choose the consequences of that action. It is a reminder that while we cannot always control everything that happens to us, we are entirely in control of actions we put into the world.

A farmer rarely harvests just one seed. We usually reap much more than we sow. One small act of kindness can multiply into great goodwill, while one small negative action can create compounding effects (Matt. 13:8, Hosea 8:7).

“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind…..” (Hosea 8:7). 

Harvest time hardly happens immediately. It takes time to experience the results of your actions, good or bad (Gal. 6:9, Eccl. 8:11). Your future will directly reflects the “seeds” you choose to plant in your daily life.

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not” (Gal. 6:9).

“Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil” (Eccl. 8:11). 

We reap proportionately to what we sow. The more seed planted, the more fruit harvested. Those who show generosity will be blessed more than those who don’t (Prov. 11:24-25).

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Prov. 11:24). “The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself” (Prov. 11:25).

The principle is not concerned with the amount of the gift but with the spirit in which it is given (II Cor. 9:6-7, II Cor. 8:12). So, what seeds are you sowing today? Good or bad ones? Remember that they both have outcome, good or bad.

Mind what you sow.

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