Sow and Reap
ICS Daily Devotions
2 Corinthians 9:6-10 (NKJV) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one gives as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.” Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness
Much is required from us when we are blessed by the Lord with material goods and finances. We should see ourselves as a steward of blessings and be a willing channel to give and bless others. When we are found to be good stewards of God’s finances through the testing of giving to others, He will provide us with more.
The opening passage reveals to us that the sowing and reaping principle is a way for the Lord to provide for us, but it is also a test of our willingness to help the poor and needy as He prompts us. Faithful stewards of God’s finances should not hoard money but be sensitive to what the Master wants them to give.
How much you sow will determine how much you will reap in harvest time. The money that we give as a freewill offering is like a seed given by the Lord in our hands. You determine the kind of blessings that you are going to receive when you give. He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Therefore, if you don’t sow, you will have no harvest. Similarly, if you don’t tithe, the window of heaven is shut, and if you don’t sow freewill offerings, you won’t have multiplications! The worst case for a farmer is to eat up all the seeds that are meant to be sown for the next harvest.
We need to remember this biblical financial principle so that we will trust in the Lord and not in the world. He will provide for you with more when you have proven faithful to be a good steward and an administrator of God’s finances. We are the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit who lives will prompt us to do something on His behalf. God will only supply and multiply to us after we have faithfully sown into those areas that He has instructed us.
Luke 6:38 (NKJV) Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Sermon Series: Freely Received and Freely Give
