LATEST SUNDAY WORD
Cause and effect. Choices and consequences. Planting and harvesting. These are realities we face in life. We get according to what we give.
Some of us have planted good seeds in the lives of others. The reward will be a harvest of good things. Chances are you will receive gifts, greeting cards, and other expressions of gratitude and fondness from people whose lives you have touched somehow.
For those who have, for whatever reason, planted negative seeds in relationship with God or people, there is a very real possibility of harvesting negative reactions, bad or cold treatment, or other unwanted responses. For example, those who have been dishonest, irresponsible, or unfaithful may reap negative things from people they have hurt or taken advantage of.
Those who have sowed many things in the lives of others will reap more than those who have sowed little. The opposite is also true, that is, those who have sowed little into other people’s lives will also reap only limited reward or return. These laws work favorably for us if we have planted many good things and only few evil things. On the other hand, it would be very scary if we have have planted only few good seeds and many bad seeds. O how we need so much of mercy from the Lord and people so that we can survive the negative return once they come.
Life is composed of many planting and harvesting cycles. This applies to relationships, health, ministry, finances, and other areas or concerns of life. Those who plant good seeds look forward to a life of security and peace. But those who plant bad seeds have reason to fear because they might harvest a return of bad things based on the bad seeds they planted. This is not legalism or a condemning statement, but a description of fact in the experience of most people. The Lord’s grace is still available, but one may still enjoy the rewards or suffer the consequences of one’s choices and actions.
Your life now is probably a reaping of the seeds you planted in the past. Your future will be determined to a very significant degree by the kind of seeds you sow today. You and I are always planting seeds in the different areas of life. To reap something, you must plant something. The planting you do determines the harvesting that will happen in the future.
I am so glad that the Lord is so gracious and merciful. He is able to shield us somehow and bless us anyway inspite of some bad seeds be planted. He can give you and I a brand new start. His mercies are new every morning. Yet the merciful God is also the same God who established the law of planting and harvesting. To a very large extent, we reap according to what we sow. So we will all do well to live wisely and carefully with God’s help. Plant good seeds and you will have a good harvest.