The Laws of Reaping and Sowing – Part 3
1) Give Cheerfully
“So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Do you know how you get cheerful in giving? You expect results. You expect a harvest. The farmer that is out there laboring in the field planting his seed has a joy on the inside of him because he knows he is going to have a harvest one day. When you sow your finances do you expect a harvest? Well, you should because God has promised it. God says that He will multiply seed that is sown. When I give for the Gospel’s sake, I’m planting seeds in the Kingdom of God.
Do not “give until it hurts” – give until it’s not joyful anymore!
This principle is working in every facet of life. Words, thoughts, actions and money are all seeds. Ideas are seeds. One idea inspired by God can change your whole life. Thoughts are seeds. Thoughts from the devil are seeds trying to overcome the Word of God. We stand in the strategic position of being the only one that can determine the outcome of our lives by the seeds that we allow to enter into our hearts. What seeds are growing in your heart? I trust they are God’s Words. If they are, then you are in store for a wonderful harvest.
2) Consider Your Ways
“Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways! You have sown much, and bring in little;You eat, but do not have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5-7)
Everything on the earth revolves around the law of Seed time and Harvest – our words, our thoughts, our finances. Principles of Seed time and Harvest are discussed repeatedly throughout the Old and New Testaments. In Galatians 6:7 the Bible tells us, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
If you are sowing productive seeds according to God’s Word and have not been reaping the abundant harvest that God promises, then God says, “. . .then, consider your ways.” Take an inventory of your life and find out what has been hindering your harvest.
3) Expect A Harvest
A farmer has joy on the inside of him when he plants his seed. Even though it is hard, laboring work, and even though he knows there is much tilling, weeding, and fertilizing ahead of him, he expects a harvest and plans for it. He knows the law of Seed time and harvest, so there is a joy in planting the seed.
The prosperity message (a term I do not like) is not a ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme or an overnight success formula that you can work up and then just live anyway that you want. It is really about “blessing” which is a lifestyle that is the result of seed time and harvest you have to be committed.
The laws of God work together. One is designed to affect the other, and you can’t pick out one little thing and ignore the rest and expect it all to work. For instance, in flying, there is the law of lift, the law of drag, and the law of thrust. If you don’t apply those laws properly, even though they are laws, you won’t get off the ground. Once you get off the ground, if you do something to interfere with those laws, such as turn the engines off, then you negate those laws and another law comes into manifestation immediately – the law of gravity.
This blog post has been adapted from my Biblical Economics 101 course. Learn what the Word of God can teach you about money and wealth with Biblical Economics 101.