What You Plant Is What You Harvest

Last week’s devotion was entitled “You Can’t Grow A Crop In The Bag”. Simply meaning you need to take the seed out of the bag or packet and place it in the ground in order for it to grow. Simple and straight forward…right? So simple we miss it.

This week’s lesson “What You Plant Is What You Harvest” is another very simple principle from nature and the cultivation of crops, so simple we often miss it. If you plant potatoes, you’ll harvest potatoes. We all know this. Let me read what the Apostle Paul has to say on this--

The New King James Version Chapter 6

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 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. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Like Jesus, Paul takes a very useful and everyday situation and applies the spiritual to it. You see the same principle works in the spiritual realm as in the physical. It’s summed up this way — you harvest what you plant. You plant love, you harvest love. You plant kindness, you harvest kindness. You plant generosity and you’ll harvest generosity. You plant a mean, crotchety, old stick in the mud attitude, that’s what you’ll get back. Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the seed you plant.

There’s a secondary principle in this as well. We find it in I Corinthians 3--

The New King James Version Chapter 3

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor

Here’s what I did, I tilled the soil and fertilized it. I made sure it was properly prepared to receive the seed. That was my part. Beyond that I did nothing but keep the weeds out. I could not make that seed grow in the ground. I put it there, but that was it. I absolutely could not do a single thing with the weather. I could not force or will that seed to grow. I had to trust the Father. Only God gives the increase to our seeds. You can’t make someone be kind to you or love you or be generous to you…that’s out of your hands. I’ve seen people try and all it does is kill the plant and nothing grows.

Paul puts it plain— don’t get tired of planting seed…trust God to do His part and you’ll reap a harvest you can’t contain.

Let me finish with this little insight, planting the seed was always done with the end in mind. If I was going to need corn to get me through the winter, I planted corn in the spring. When you sow your seed always keep the end in mind.

I talked last week how I’ve witnessed people planting seed even at the end of their lives. I received permission to give these examples. I watched two men, Bob and Jim each call their families to their sides in the last days of their lives. Each spoke with their children and grandchildren and gave them words of wisdom. Each spoke of their love for their Savior and how important it was to follow Christ. Each prayed for their families. If that’s not sowing seed right up to the end, I don’t know what is. I believe they sowed with the trust, that though they will never see the harvest, God will give the increase. Dear Friend, don’t get weary, keep planting good seed…there’s a harvest coming. Let’s pray...