Harvest Truth

By Lt. Colonel Kevin Stoops 

Ecclesiastes 3:2 says there is “a time to plant and a time to harvest” (NLT).

In the rhythm of agriculture, there is springtime and there is the harvest. This is the time for harvest. Farmers planted in faith, and they waited, believing that the seeds would bear fruit and food. Through dry times and wet weather; through days of worry and days of hard work. Now it is harvesttime. There are some truths of the harvest that apply to our spiritual walk. Let’s look at three of those today.

1. IN ORDER TO REAP, YOU MUST SOW

This sounds too simple. What do you want? Then, you must plant it. You must sow. There is no reaping (harvest) without there first being a planting.

What’s true in farming is also true in other areas of life. If you want to play piano, you need to practice piano. If you want an A on a test, you must study for that test. If you want to be in better shape, you must exercise, etc.

In order to reap, you must sow.

How about spiritually? If you want to know God, you must read the Bible.

If you want your prayers answered, you must first pray. If you want people to know Christ, then plant the seeds of your testimony.

There is a parable in English literature about an ant and a grasshopper. All summer long, the ant collected bits of food and stored them away. All summer long, the grasshopper played music on his fiddle. Then winter came and the grasshopper was starving. He went to the ant and asked for some food. The ant asked: What did you do all summer, when I was collecting food?

I was busy playing music, said the grasshopper.

Well, there you have it. You did not reap, because you did not sow.

2. YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW

Galatians 6:7 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”

This makes sense. You plant corn, you get corn. You plant tomatoes, you get tomatoes. You reap what you sow. Never has a farmer planted potatoes and reaped grapes. The harvest cannot be changed — you reap what you sow.

This can either be good or bad, depending on what you plant.

Job 4:8 says that “those who plow evil and those who sow trouble reap it.”

And 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

This truth applies to parenting.

There is a famous poem by Dorothy Nolte called “Children Learn What They Live.” She writes:

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.

On the other hand, she writes:

If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.

Worldly speaking — if you sow wild living, do not expect God to change the harvest. Many people sow wild living and pray for a crop failure. If you plant promiscuity, you will reap the harvest of that action. If you plant addictive behavior, you will reap the harvest of that. If you plant pride and boasting, you will reap the harvest of that. Do not be confused. In our world, it may seem that evil wins and good loses. Remember, the truth is clear. People will reap what they sow. If you sow to the world, you get what the world has to offer. However, if you sow to the Spirit, you get what the Spirit has to offer.

Therefore, plant the truth and reap the truth. Sow faith and reap faithfulness. Sow generosity and reap the same. Sow good seed and reap good fruit. Remember, you reap what you sow. Ephesians 6:8 says, “Whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (ESV).

So, a quick review. If you want to reap, you must sow. And you reap what you sow. Now …

3. YOU REAP MORE THAN YOU SOW

In Matthew 13, there is the Parable of the Sower. And it promises a return of 30, 60, or 100 times what was planted. One kernel of corn gives you 500 kernels at harvest. One grape seed will give you a vine with clusters of grapes on them, which are filled with many more seeds.

You reap more than you sow.

This is called the whirlwind effect. Hosea 8:7 says, “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” We see this in an evil way. One drink can lead to alcoholism. You reap more than you sow. One time stealing can lead to a life of stealing. You reap more than you sow.

If you sow to the world, you get the world. And that is all. Then comes the harvest. In eternity, God will look to see what has come from all of your planting. If you have only sown things which please yourself — you reap the whirlwind. If you have only sown seeds to get yourself ahead, or keep yourself secure, you reap the whirlwind.

However, if you sow to the Spirit, you get the Spirit, and that extends into eternity. One act of kindness can lead to more acts of kindness. One time telling the truth can influence others to tell the truth. One day of prayer can lead to the floodgates of Heaven opening up. The quality of the harvest depends upon the quality of the seed. So be generous in sowing good seed for the Spirit. Do not grow weary in doing the right thing. It is leading to an eternal harvest. Do not grow tired in meeting together, for it is leading to an eternal harvest. Do not give up reading His Word, for it is bearing fruit in you, which will last into eternity. You reap more than you sow.

The final word is this: What are you planting today?