Harvest Time
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Every person has some one thing which is most important in his life. First in the life of every person is either God or some ‘god.’ If one does not put God first in his life, then he puts some ‘god’ first. This ‘god’ may be popularity with one’s fellow man. It may be gaining of wealth—of money, houses, lands, etc. It may be sensual pleasure. Whatever is first in one’s life becomes a sort of springboard from which all of his decisions are made.
A passage which is helpful in understanding this text for today is found from the pen of Paul, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart” (Galatians 6:7-9). This passage teaches a number of very vital lessons.
First, we learn that each one of us is sowing. Each one of us is living a life not only with human privilege, but with human responsibility and accountability. Perhaps the most awesome thought to which the human mind can address itself is the fact of human accountability to God. The Bible uses the figure of the living of the human life in comparison to that of building a house (cf. Matthew 7:24-27). Each one of us is living a life for which he shall give an account to God.
Second, each one of us is sowing one—and only one—of two kinds of seed. Each person is sowing either to “the Spirit” or to “the flesh.” There are no other alternatives. If one is now sowing to the Spirit, then he is sowing to the flesh. If one is not sowing to the flesh, then he is sowing to the Spirit. What does it mean to live a life of sowing “to the Spirit” or the life of sowing “to the flesh?” Since to fail to live a life of sowing to the Spirit is, in fact, to live a life of sowing to the flesh, then such will be easily understood—if only one can understand what it means to live a life of sowing to the Spirit.
Since to live a life of sowing to the Spirit is the same thing as to live a life of seeking first the kingdom of God, one can see the very vital connection to our text for today. To live a life of sowing to the Spirit is to live a life in which that which is uppermost in the mind of the person are the things which pertain to the spirit of man. This means that he is most concerned about the things that pertain to inner man and his relation to God. Such a person is most concerned about the things which pertain to salvation from sin, about living the Christian life in true faithfulness to God, about living in hope of eternal life and about spending eternity with God in the city which has foundations whose builder and maker is God (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; Revelation 2:10; Hebrews 11:9-10). Jesus taught that if one loves anything or anyone more than he loves Him, then he cannot be His disciple (cf. Luke 14:26-33)!
Third, one can learn the great lesson that he shall reap a harvest from the planting of whatever seed he sows in this life. While farmers sometimes work very hard and spend a great deal of money in order to plant and cultivate a crop, at times they reap no harvest at all. This will not be the case in “the sowing of seed” which is under contemplation in the passage at hand. Each one of us is sowing, each one of us is sowing one of two kinds of seed, and each one of us will reap a harvest (cf. Hebrews 9:27; Acts 17:30-31; 2 Corinthians 5:1-11_. Those who live a life of sowing to the Spirit will reap eternal life, but those who fail to put God first in their life—and, thus, live a life of sowing to the flesh—will reap corruption (that is, they will be lost in hell, Revelation 20:1-15; Romans 6:23).
Fourth, not only will each one reap, he will also reap more and longer than he sows. The primary reason the farmer sows is that he expects to reap more than he sows. Jesus made clear that no matter how great is the sacrifice which men make in order to follow Him, they shall reap one hundred fold more now, in this life, and in the world to come eternal life (Mark. 10:28-31). One cannot ‘give’ more to God than He will give.
Fifth, one can learn that each one of us will reap what he sows. If one sows to the Spirit, he will reap life everlasting (in Heaven). If one sows to the flesh, he will reap corruption (in Hell). The opening chapter of the Bible teaches that every seed brings forth after its kind (Genesis 1:11-12). There is absolutely no possibility that the planting of a watermelon seed will result in an orange tree. In the same way, there is absolutely no possibility that the living of a life of sowing to the flesh will result in the reaping of life everlasting. The man who lives a disobedient life will be lost forever.
Let each one of us therefore be very careful that he lives a life of “seeking first the kingdom of God.”