The Law of the Harvest

Tonight, I would like to blog about a concept that is sometimes called The Law of the Harvest: "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," or, in modern American English, "You reap what you sow." Paul's letter to the Galatians gives us this concept in greater context:

Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:7-9

Paul's second (or fourth?) letter to the Corinthians also sheds light on this concept: "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6).

Essentially, for the most part, we get what we deserve. If we do good, we generally get blessings. If we don't do good, those blessings are usually withheld. The more good we do, the more blessings we can expect, in this life and/or the next. The less we do for God, the less we can expect God to do for us. Of course, God is often, though not always, more generous than we deserve. But still, generally speaking, we reap what we sow.

What's most interesting to me about this concept is that it doesn't only apply to spiritual matters. It can also be applied to other aspects of our lives, perhaps even all of them. For example, the more we practice piano, the more piano skill we will gain. The more we study geography, the better we'll understand it. And the more time we devote to gaining money, the more money we will probably gain. All of these blessings depend on us seeking them in the right ways, but if we do, the results we get will largely depend on what we do to get them.

This Law of the Harvest makes me want to do good, develop good skills, and study topics worth understanding. I'm sure the feeling will pass and I will once again spend time and energy on things of little value, but right now, I want to sow goodness so I can reap goodness in return.