Have you ever wanted to give up? Sure you have; in fact, we all have and will from time to time. When we grow weary and we are ready to give up, we do well to remember the encouraging words of Paul in Galatians 6:7-10,
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
This passage reveals three very important principles about sowing and reaping. You reap WHAT you sow, you reap AFTER you sow, and you reap MORE THAN you sow. In this context, sowing refers to how we use our time and resources, and reaping refers to the results of our use of time and resources.
The “WHAT” refers to what we put into life. The best way to insure a great harvest is to invest positively in the lives of others. We all have 86,400 seconds per day, and we must choose whether to spend them or invest them. That decision determines the outcome. The “MORE THAN” refers to what we get out of life. Positively or negatively, we get back from life exponentially what we put into it.
Of the three principles, the second principle – you reap AFTER you sow – is often them most challenging. This principle requires us to exercise patience. No gardener plants a seed one day and expects a harvest the next day. Results take time, and often that time is a “silent” time when nothing appears to be happening. It is during these silent times we are most tempted to give up. We have given it our best shot, but seemingly, no results are forthcoming.
When the silence tempts you to give up, let me encourage you to hold on just a little while longer and to keep doing good, keep investing positively in the lives of others. Every word of Scripture is true, including and especially the promise in verse 9 that assures us that we WILL receive a harvest for the good investments in life. The promise comes with two caveats, however.
The harvest comes in “due season,” or literally “in its own appointed time.” We may wish to experience the blessing sooner, but it will come at just the right time as determined by God. The second caveat is that we will receive the harvest if we do not give up. The word translated give up, in first century secular usage, referred loosening the string on a bow, abandoning the hunt, giving up. Don’t unstring your bow. Hang in there.