Luke 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
Galatians 6:7-8 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.
Throughout the Bible, we will find the principle of reaping and sowing also known as the Law of the Harvest. There are at least 2 parts to this principle that we will look at in this study.
Part A - The Law of the Harvest in our Choices. This would be obvious in various areas of our lives including such things as :
1) Education -Where do I need to go to college in order to attain my goal in the career of my choice.
2) Choosing to work hard and put effort into the things I do in order to be successful - whether that be in school, at home, in my relationships or on the job. Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
3) Spiritual Choices -The choice I make to follow Christ and live a life that pleases God, to honor Him in my daily life choices and thereby receive the blessing of God ( though not necessarily in money or possesions but rather the joy of living in His presence and being assured of his favor toward me.), or you can choose to live a life of sinful disobedience and reap the consequences thereof.
4) Spending Choices - Making the choice to live within my financial limits. Making the wrong choices in finances will lead to debt that I do not need or want. Make the choice to do with less rather than carry debt whenever possible.
5) Eating Habits and Health choices - Taking care of our eating habits and working towards healthy lifestyle patterns will pay huge rewards down the road.
6) Entertainment Choices - The kinds of things we put into our hearts and minds affects our thought processes and the life choices that we make in an unguarded moment. When we put evil, immoral or violence pictures or music into our minds through magazines, television and internet, the devil will use that against us at a convienent time of his choosing.
7) Relationship Choices - It is very important that we choose our friends wisely. Proverbs 13: 20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
8) What are some other Choices where the Law of the Harvest is seen?
Part B - The Law of the Harvest in our Giving
2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
We can see from these two passages that we can never outgive God. When we give to the work of the Lord financially or in praying for others or in doing kind deed - this is sowing the seed and God increases it and produces a harvest in His own time. God will see to it that as we give, He will supply more to us so that we will not suffer need. Phillipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Sometimes we will see the fruit of our giving or of our time spent in prayer but other times we will not. We will see the outcome of the work the Lord has given for us to do in Heaven when the rewards are handed out to the faithful.
Cheerful giving to the Lord will result in a much better reward than earthly riches - it will result in a harvest of righteousness.
In conclusion, all of our giving pales in comparison to the gift that God gave to us - that is His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross to redeem us to God for eternal life.
Galatians 6:7-8 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.
Throughout the Bible, we will find the principle of reaping and sowing also known as the Law of the Harvest. There are at least 2 parts to this principle that we will look at in this study.
Part A - The Law of the Harvest in our Choices. This would be obvious in various areas of our lives including such things as :
1) Education -Where do I need to go to college in order to attain my goal in the career of my choice.
2) Choosing to work hard and put effort into the things I do in order to be successful - whether that be in school, at home, in my relationships or on the job. Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
3) Spiritual Choices -The choice I make to follow Christ and live a life that pleases God, to honor Him in my daily life choices and thereby receive the blessing of God ( though not necessarily in money or possesions but rather the joy of living in His presence and being assured of his favor toward me.), or you can choose to live a life of sinful disobedience and reap the consequences thereof.
4) Spending Choices - Making the choice to live within my financial limits. Making the wrong choices in finances will lead to debt that I do not need or want. Make the choice to do with less rather than carry debt whenever possible.
5) Eating Habits and Health choices - Taking care of our eating habits and working towards healthy lifestyle patterns will pay huge rewards down the road.
6) Entertainment Choices - The kinds of things we put into our hearts and minds affects our thought processes and the life choices that we make in an unguarded moment. When we put evil, immoral or violence pictures or music into our minds through magazines, television and internet, the devil will use that against us at a convienent time of his choosing.
7) Relationship Choices - It is very important that we choose our friends wisely. Proverbs 13: 20 He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
8) What are some other Choices where the Law of the Harvest is seen?
Part B - The Law of the Harvest in our Giving
2 Corinthians 9: 6-7 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Proverbs 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
We can see from these two passages that we can never outgive God. When we give to the work of the Lord financially or in praying for others or in doing kind deed - this is sowing the seed and God increases it and produces a harvest in His own time. God will see to it that as we give, He will supply more to us so that we will not suffer need. Phillipians 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Sometimes we will see the fruit of our giving or of our time spent in prayer but other times we will not. We will see the outcome of the work the Lord has given for us to do in Heaven when the rewards are handed out to the faithful.
Cheerful giving to the Lord will result in a much better reward than earthly riches - it will result in a harvest of righteousness.
In conclusion, all of our giving pales in comparison to the gift that God gave to us - that is His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross to redeem us to God for eternal life.
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