You Reap What You Sow
You Reap What You Sow
Galatians 6:1–10; Hosea 10:12–13; Mark 4:20
When the gospel is what we sow, holiness is the harvest.
A Kingdom Law Hidden in Plain Sight
Every farmer knows this: you can’t plant weeds and expect wheat. You can’t sow carelessness and expect fruit. That’s not pessimism—it’s the built-in order of God’s world.
Paul calls it the law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7–10). It’s a simple law with cosmic implications. It governs not only the fields of Galatia but the field of every human heart.
And it raises a sobering question:
What kind of seeds are you sowing right now?
This question sits at the heart of our Multiply Together initiative—a three-year vision to see God multiply gospel-centered disciples across Livermore and beyond.
We’re praying for:
But that vision won’t happen by wishful thinking. The harvest tomorrow depends on what we plant today.
Intentions don’t determine direction, habits do.
The habits you cultivate today are quietly steering your tomorrow.
1. The Law of Sowing and Reaping
Paul writes: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7)
In Greek, mē planāsthe—“Don’t wander off course.” It’s where we get our word planet, a “wandering star.”
Paul’s warning is this: Don’t drift like a wandering start in the universe.
Don’t let your emotions rewrite the fixed realities of God’s truth. Our emotions are real but not reliable. God’s Word is.
Hosea echoes the same truth:
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love… You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice.” (Hos. 10:12–13)
There are two fields that reap two harvests.
You either sow righteousness and reap steadfast love or sow self-reliance and reap emptiness.
This isn’t karma. It’s the gracious order God has written into creation, a moral gravity that pulls toward holiness or decay depending on what you plant.
The Reformers often called this the “moral structure of creation.” God’s providence doesn’t only govern the stars, it governs the soil. Gravity pulls, fire burns, and sin still kills.
You can’t mock God’s world and expect to escape its design.
2. Sowing Is Slow, but It’s Worth It
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9)
Paul isn’t talking about productivity; he’s talking about people. Look at verses 1–3:
“Restore the sinner with gentleness. Bear one another’s burdens.”
The field where we sow is the local church.
This is the slow, Spirit-led labor of love—where patience is plowing, gentleness is seed, and faithfulness is fertilizer.
Kevin DeYoung once wrote:
“The Christian life is rarely about revolution; it’s about plodding. We need fewer revolutionaries and more plodding visionaries—people content to do small things for a long time.”
Faithfulness is not flashy. In a world of instant results, God’s kingdom grows through slow obedience.
Legalism promises speed but it’s a shortcut spirituality that measures growth by appearance.
But Paul calls that “boasting in the flesh.” It’s planting pride and expecting holiness.
Grace removes guilt, not consequences. You may be forgiven, but seeds sown to the flesh still bear bitter fruit. Yet grace means you can start sowing differently today.
Patient sowing grows from trust, and shows itself in serving.
Don’t overthink it, just plant something small and faithful. God loves to multiply plodding obedience. Who can you serve this week?
3. Sowing Generously
“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” (Gal. 6:6)
Generosity isn’t God collecting dues, it’s God multiplying grace.
When you give, serve, or love in faith, you’re planting seeds that grow into joy, contentment, and eternal fruit.
Paul’s logic in 2 Corinthians 9 is this: God is both the supplier and the multiplier of the seed.
Everything begins and ends with grace. God gives the seed, God provides the rain, and God brings the increase. That means generosity is never loss, it’s worship.
Even Israel’s agrarian laws embodied this:
“When you reap your harvest, do not reap to the edges of your field. Leave them for the poor.” (Lev. 23:22)
In other words, don’t harvest to the max. Leave margin for mercy.
That’s kingdom economics—open hands because everything belongs to Him.
J.D. Greear calls this God Math:
“Ninety percent with God’s blessing goes further than a hundred percent without it.”
Money is a seed. It looks small and ordinary, but when surrendered, God grows fruit that looks nothing like the seed itself.
When you plant generosity, you reap contentment.
When you plant grace, you reap gratitude.
When you plant faith, you reap freedom.
The happiest people aren’t those with the most, they’re those who give the most away.
In the Old Testament, God built generosity into Israel’s everyday life.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” — Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22
God told His people to leave a portion of their fields unharvested, to resist the urge to consume everything for themselves.
But the temptation was always to cut to the very edges, to maximize profit and minimize dependence.
It was a test of trust: Would they believe that God could do more with less?
Leave an “edge of your field.”
Budget margin—time, money, and energy—to bless others.
Generosity doesn’t begin when you have more; it begins when you trust God with what you already have.
When you leave space for others, you’re declaring, “This field, and everything in it, belongs to the Lord.”
4. Sowing Wisely
“The one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Gal. 6:8)
There are only two fields: the flesh or the Spirit. One promises control; the other produces life.
The word corruption (phthora) means decay—like fruit left on the counter too long.
Sin is deceptive that way. What starts as pleasure ends as rot.
You think you can manage it, but sin always metastasizes.
But the reverse is gloriously true: sow to the Spirit, and God grows holiness.
That’s sanctification, the Spirit cultivating new affections, new habits, new loves.
This is progressive sanctification: grace that not only forgives but transforms. Holiness becomes not just possible, but desirable.
So how do we do this? Feed what you want to grow. Immerse yourself in the Word, surround yourself with gospel community, and watch how holiness becomes normal.
5. Sowing Spiritually
You can’t sow to the Spirit until the flesh is cut away.
Paul ends Galatians where he began—with the cross.
“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross… For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but a new creation.” (Gal. 6:14–15)
In Colossians 2:11, he explains:
“In Him you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.”
True holiness begins with a cut, the Spirit cutting away the old nature, crucifying the flesh.
Isaiah foretold it: “He was cut off for the transgressions of my people.” (Isa. 53:8)
Jesus was cut off so you could be brought in.
The gospel pattern is always:
Cut off → Buried → Raised.
Christ was sown into the ground, and the resurrection was the harvest.
The cross is both seed and soil for a new creation life.
6. The Gospel Reframing
If the story ended with “you reap what you sow,” we’d all be doomed. Every one of us has sown pride, selfishness, and sin. Our fields are filled with thorns.
But God.
God sent His Son into the field of our sin.
Jesus took the seeds of our corruption and buried them in the soil of His cross.
And three days later, He rose with a harvest of eternal life.
Now, when you plant in faith, you’re not sowing to your flesh—you’re sowing into resurrection ground.
The tomb is empty, and the harvest has already begun.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
So don’t give up. Don’t drift.
Keep sowing the gospel into your relationships, your work, your finances, your city—because the ground is His and the harvest belongs to Him.
A Final Invitation to Sow for a Harvest of Holiness.
Write down two lines today:
Because Jesus already sowed Himself for you and the tomb is empty.
The seed is in the ground, but the story isn’t over.
“When the gospel is what you sow, holiness is the harvest.”
When the gospel is what we sow, holiness is the harvest.
A Kingdom Law Hidden in Plain Sight
Every farmer knows this: you can’t plant weeds and expect wheat. You can’t sow carelessness and expect fruit. That’s not pessimism—it’s the built-in order of God’s world.
Paul calls it the law of sowing and reaping (Gal. 6:7–10). It’s a simple law with cosmic implications. It governs not only the fields of Galatia but the field of every human heart.
And it raises a sobering question:
What kind of seeds are you sowing right now?
This question sits at the heart of our Multiply Together initiative—a three-year vision to see God multiply gospel-centered disciples across Livermore and beyond.
We’re praying for:
- More disciples being discipled.
- More people equipped to lead and serve.
- More people reached with the hope of Jesus.
But that vision won’t happen by wishful thinking. The harvest tomorrow depends on what we plant today.
Intentions don’t determine direction, habits do.
The habits you cultivate today are quietly steering your tomorrow.
1. The Law of Sowing and Reaping
Paul writes: “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7)
In Greek, mē planāsthe—“Don’t wander off course.” It’s where we get our word planet, a “wandering star.”
Paul’s warning is this: Don’t drift like a wandering start in the universe.
Don’t let your emotions rewrite the fixed realities of God’s truth. Our emotions are real but not reliable. God’s Word is.
Hosea echoes the same truth:
“Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love… You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice.” (Hos. 10:12–13)
There are two fields that reap two harvests.
You either sow righteousness and reap steadfast love or sow self-reliance and reap emptiness.
This isn’t karma. It’s the gracious order God has written into creation, a moral gravity that pulls toward holiness or decay depending on what you plant.
The Reformers often called this the “moral structure of creation.” God’s providence doesn’t only govern the stars, it governs the soil. Gravity pulls, fire burns, and sin still kills.
You can’t mock God’s world and expect to escape its design.
2. Sowing Is Slow, but It’s Worth It
“Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Gal. 6:9)
Paul isn’t talking about productivity; he’s talking about people. Look at verses 1–3:
“Restore the sinner with gentleness. Bear one another’s burdens.”
The field where we sow is the local church.
This is the slow, Spirit-led labor of love—where patience is plowing, gentleness is seed, and faithfulness is fertilizer.
Kevin DeYoung once wrote:
“The Christian life is rarely about revolution; it’s about plodding. We need fewer revolutionaries and more plodding visionaries—people content to do small things for a long time.”
Faithfulness is not flashy. In a world of instant results, God’s kingdom grows through slow obedience.
Legalism promises speed but it’s a shortcut spirituality that measures growth by appearance.
But Paul calls that “boasting in the flesh.” It’s planting pride and expecting holiness.
Grace removes guilt, not consequences. You may be forgiven, but seeds sown to the flesh still bear bitter fruit. Yet grace means you can start sowing differently today.
Patient sowing grows from trust, and shows itself in serving.
Don’t overthink it, just plant something small and faithful. God loves to multiply plodding obedience. Who can you serve this week?
3. Sowing Generously
“Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” (Gal. 6:6)
Generosity isn’t God collecting dues, it’s God multiplying grace.
When you give, serve, or love in faith, you’re planting seeds that grow into joy, contentment, and eternal fruit.
Paul’s logic in 2 Corinthians 9 is this: God is both the supplier and the multiplier of the seed.
Everything begins and ends with grace. God gives the seed, God provides the rain, and God brings the increase. That means generosity is never loss, it’s worship.
Even Israel’s agrarian laws embodied this:
“When you reap your harvest, do not reap to the edges of your field. Leave them for the poor.” (Lev. 23:22)
In other words, don’t harvest to the max. Leave margin for mercy.
That’s kingdom economics—open hands because everything belongs to Him.
J.D. Greear calls this God Math:
“Ninety percent with God’s blessing goes further than a hundred percent without it.”
Money is a seed. It looks small and ordinary, but when surrendered, God grows fruit that looks nothing like the seed itself.
When you plant generosity, you reap contentment.
When you plant grace, you reap gratitude.
When you plant faith, you reap freedom.
The happiest people aren’t those with the most, they’re those who give the most away.
In the Old Testament, God built generosity into Israel’s everyday life.
“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.” — Leviticus 19:9–10; 23:22
God told His people to leave a portion of their fields unharvested, to resist the urge to consume everything for themselves.
But the temptation was always to cut to the very edges, to maximize profit and minimize dependence.
It was a test of trust: Would they believe that God could do more with less?
Leave an “edge of your field.”
Budget margin—time, money, and energy—to bless others.
Generosity doesn’t begin when you have more; it begins when you trust God with what you already have.
When you leave space for others, you’re declaring, “This field, and everything in it, belongs to the Lord.”
4. Sowing Wisely
“The one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life.” (Gal. 6:8)
There are only two fields: the flesh or the Spirit. One promises control; the other produces life.
The word corruption (phthora) means decay—like fruit left on the counter too long.
Sin is deceptive that way. What starts as pleasure ends as rot.
You think you can manage it, but sin always metastasizes.
But the reverse is gloriously true: sow to the Spirit, and God grows holiness.
That’s sanctification, the Spirit cultivating new affections, new habits, new loves.
This is progressive sanctification: grace that not only forgives but transforms. Holiness becomes not just possible, but desirable.
So how do we do this? Feed what you want to grow. Immerse yourself in the Word, surround yourself with gospel community, and watch how holiness becomes normal.
5. Sowing Spiritually
You can’t sow to the Spirit until the flesh is cut away.
Paul ends Galatians where he began—with the cross.
“Far be it from me to boast except in the cross… For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but a new creation.” (Gal. 6:14–15)
In Colossians 2:11, he explains:
“In Him you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands.”
True holiness begins with a cut, the Spirit cutting away the old nature, crucifying the flesh.
Isaiah foretold it: “He was cut off for the transgressions of my people.” (Isa. 53:8)
Jesus was cut off so you could be brought in.
The gospel pattern is always:
Cut off → Buried → Raised.
Christ was sown into the ground, and the resurrection was the harvest.
The cross is both seed and soil for a new creation life.
6. The Gospel Reframing
If the story ended with “you reap what you sow,” we’d all be doomed. Every one of us has sown pride, selfishness, and sin. Our fields are filled with thorns.
But God.
God sent His Son into the field of our sin.
Jesus took the seeds of our corruption and buried them in the soil of His cross.
And three days later, He rose with a harvest of eternal life.
Now, when you plant in faith, you’re not sowing to your flesh—you’re sowing into resurrection ground.
The tomb is empty, and the harvest has already begun.
“Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
So don’t give up. Don’t drift.
Keep sowing the gospel into your relationships, your work, your finances, your city—because the ground is His and the harvest belongs to Him.
A Final Invitation to Sow for a Harvest of Holiness.
Write down two lines today:
- Name one habit that feeds the flesh—and stop it.
- Name one habit that feeds the Spirit—and start it.
Because Jesus already sowed Himself for you and the tomb is empty.
The seed is in the ground, but the story isn’t over.
“When the gospel is what you sow, holiness is the harvest.”
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