Day 13, Year 1 What a Soul Sows, the Soul Will Reap

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

A Chinese saying goes, “A portion you sow, the portion you shall reap.” Yet, this proverb does not always come true. In comparison, yielding great results with minimal effort occurs even less commonly. Nonetheless, in the journey of following Jesus, these occurrences are made possible through the blessings of the Most High God. As mentioned previously, by choosing the life of God, we could find solutions to various problems and then lead a prosperous life.

Alternatively, what occurs more commonly is yielding little despite much effort paid. This is often due to being cursed, which could be understood in three ways. First, what someone plowed might not be blessed by God, resulting in little harvest. Second, the harvest might be stolen or damaged by others. Third, and most commonly, a person with ill intentions might appear to reap a bountiful harvest. But in reality, they are cursed, and the harvest is scant. For instance, some criminals acquire wealth through unjust means, only for it to vanish quickly or even become a curse on them and their descendants if any. Note that regardless of how quickly the unrighteous wealth vanishes, the very act of injustice would bring a curse upon them. This is the meaning of “God is not mocked” and “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

The scripture emphasizes the intention and integrity of the human mind, like some other religious doctrines. The word “sow” in today’s verse is speiro in Greek, which also refers to “scatter, or sow seed.” It indicates that a sower has the freedom to select the type of seeds to scatter in the field. In short, our words and actions disseminate positive or negative energy wherever we go. Some might argue that a lot of the time, people cannot help but lack the freedom to spread good seeds. For instance, some people are filled with negativity or even curses from birth. The verse, however, disagrees with such a claim. At least, those filled with negative thoughts or energy could transform themselves through understanding the Bible, thereby choosing life and leading a life where positivity conquers negativity. In other words, the Bible indicates that believers have complete freedom to choose good seeds and yield a good harvest. By agreeing with God’s words, we have the authority from Jesus to smash all curses on us and extinguish all negativity in our lives. But of course, we need to make an effort or pay the price to acquire good seeds before sowing them.

Reflection questions:

1) Do you believe life operates on the principle of “a portion you sow, the portion you shall reap”? Why? 

2) Are you willing to pay the price to acquire good seeds and yield a good harvest in future? If so, what would you do to acquire these good seeds?