Don’t Let the Bad Stop the Good
7. Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.
8. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
9. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
Galatians 6:7-9
2 Great Farm Laws
Few of us would consider our words, thoughts, and in our deeds to be the equivalent of seeds sown in the ground. Since we are so far removed from the agrarian way of life, we tend to think in terms of action and reaction. We rarely consider the fact that the things we say, think, or do today will cause a harvest at some point in the future.
One of the very basic lessons from farming is the fact that seed will produce fruit after its kind. When God spoke in the creation of the earth, He said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth…” Genesis 1:11. In farming terms, corn seeds cannot produce barley. Soybean seeds can not produce wheat. By the proclamation of God Himself, the law was set that everything would produce seed after its own kind. Consequently, if people sow lies, deception, and violence, that seed will produce a harvest of misery. It was a fixed law. Even if we desired a different type of fruit, we could only reap what we had sown into the ground.
The second profound law from farming is the fact that the abundance of the harvest depended on the abundance of the seed planting. In other words, if we sowed only a few seeds into the ground, then we could only expect a few plants to grow out of the ground. Granted, those few plants could have yielded a good harvest but it would only come from those few plants. If we wanted more plants to grow, we would have to plant more seeds. That was a fixed law that did not change. If we sowed sparingly, we would also reap sparingly.
In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he wanted to encourage the followers of Jesus Christ to not sow to the flesh but rather to the Spirit. They had given themselves over to legalism and Jewish traditions and were sowing into the flesh but expecting a harvest from of the Holy Spirit’s power. They were attempting to harvest the Grace of God but were using the seeds of self righteousness. Paul warned them that God’s Grace did not operate under those terms. The Grace of God is free Grace. Some were demanding that Gentiles would take on the circumcision in addition to their acceptance of Jesus Christ in order to be saved by Grace. The Apostle Paul argued strongly that Grace under those terms is not Grace; it is legalism and has no Salvation. They were sowing to the flesh and would eventually reap a life of ruin. Their attempts to gain God’s acceptance through legalism was making God’s Grace of no effect. In essence, they were sowing bad seed. In much the same manner today, people are sowing one type of seed and expecting a different kind of harvest. The seed today is liberalism and has gone to the opposite extreme. People are attempting to get away with every kind of sin and justify it under free Grace. That is sowing to the flesh; it is bad seed.
In the face of recent events involving the murders of innocent Black men (Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd), some are sowing seeds of anger, retribution, and hate. The question we must ask is whether or not that will help us reap a harvest of righteousness? Yes, this is an injustice. Yes, this has been precipitated by the political climate that disrespects people of color. But shall we sow seeds of hate to compensate for hate?
What does God Expect?
Someone has said that “life is a result of the seeds we sow.” While that definition does not describe all of life, it does remind us that the seeds we sow will impact our life, whether good or bad. Paul reminded the Galatians that everyone will reap what they sow. The question we must ask is whether or not we will follow God or follow our feelings in this matter. I can tell you that if you don’t pray and bring the matter before God, you will react to situations by grabbing the bad seed bag.
There are consequences if you sow bad seed. Corrupt seed will produce a harvest of heartache. You cannot sow bad seed and expect for it to simply be an unproductive endeavor. There will be a harvest. It is with that understanding that Paul says that all such actions of bad seed sowing is actually mocking God.
Notice in verse 7, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. The reading in the Jewish New Testament renders that same verse, Don’t delude yourself (or fool yourself), no one makes a fool of God: a person reaps what he sows. There is no way that we can deceive God or mock God without facing the consequences. So the first thing that we should consider is there are consequences for mocking God. Now, I pray that no one would have the gall to stand up and openly defy God. That would certainly invite the immediate anger and wrath of God. When I speak evil because of evil, I am sowing bad seed and mocking God. When I think that God is not doing things in response to the evil, I am mocking God. If I think or say that God is not bringing about justice, then I am accusing the Courts of God as being unfair. We know that God is longsuffering and slow to anger. We know that so, resist the temptation to mock God.
The second thing that we see is that the consequences are not always immediate, but they are certain. When we sow the bad seed or the good seed, for that matter, there will be consequences, maybe not instantly but eventually. When you do something bad, there may not be a peal of lightning and thunder. When you do something good, there may not be the celestial strumming of a harp or the sound of the trumpet in the sky. You probably won’t experience anything immediately, but know this, that the harvest has been set in motion once the seed is planted. Verse 7 states clearly, a person reaps what he sows. Verse 9 follows with this observation, for in due time we shall reap, if we faint not. Let me tell you why it is good to have a delayed harvest. Plain and simple: we would not be ready if the harvest came immediately.
God’s longsuffering allows us to look out at your field and see what is coming out of the ground. You then have a choice of plowing it under and start over again. By the Grace of God we can repent over the bad seed and God will plow it under. You may still have earthly consequences, but getting it right with God means that you move forward in God’s favor. I for one, am glad that we do not immediately reap what we sow.
The third consequence we recognize is that we can change the consequences by changing the seed we source. That means changing our seed source. People get bad seed from the bad seed source. Where do they get seeds of anger, jealousy, malice, and envy? You get those from the Negativity Storehouse. Guess who is the keeper of that store? Satan is the one who authors all kinds of confusion. Don’t go to the negativity storehouse to get seed. You must begin noticing when evil is coming out of your mouth or through your attitude. Be patient and think about what you are doing before you do it. Once the seed is sown it is sown.
You and I have a choice. God said, “I place before you death and life, wherefore choose life.” Our Father wants us to make those right decisions to sow the precious seed of righteousness in order to harvest that which is good and godly.
Sowing in the Spirit
If we believe that the Earth belongs to God and everything in it, why in the world would we want to sow bad seed into God’s good field? Let’s define our field. It could be your home environment. A field could be your church environment. It could be your employment. It may even be your finances. What are you sowing into those fields? Unless you sow the godly seed, you cannot expect a harvest from God.
How do you sow godly seed? First, start thanking God for everything. Even if you cannot understand the purpose for it, just start thanking God and say “Lord I praise you for this.” Then, ask God to show you how to incorporate those things that He has given. Finally, speak to it with love, joy, and peace in the Spirit. Don’t speak with contempt and animosity toward those things that God has allowed. The Bible says, “let no corrupting communication proceed from your mouth.”
Secondly, understand that the Holy Spirit has come to equip you with good seed to sow in bad times. The Spirit of God offers us His power in three ways. First in seed selection; God provides seed to the sower. Second, God causes the crop to grow and produce fruit. Thirdly, God shows us how to use the harvest to bless others as well as ourselves.
Lastly, we should never allow the bad to stop the good. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. The Holy Spirit will provide us with good seed and a good harvest regardless of the climate. We simply need to ask God for understanding and He will open the floodgate of revelation to us. God provides seed on many levels depending on the fields of need. I must ask God where is the need. Yes, it is spiritual seed, but it manifests itself in the real and tangible world. There is no doubt that God wants His people to sow good seed in these evil times. If we stop our work, then the only harvest will be evil and God will certainly not have that.
We don’t have to mock God by sowing bad seed, we can magnify God by sowing good seed that He will provide. Remember in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. God Bless.