We Reap From God What We Sow Towards Others

Well, it's definitely a beautiful morning this morning. Bright, sunny, and I was noticing a bunch of white birds look like gulls with black tips on their wings. They were migrating through, so it was fun to watch them around the lake. But the season's changing, which is very nice. There's a story told about two Scotsmen who emigrated to California. They wanted to bring something to their new home that would remind them of their homeland. So one of them chose a thistle, his national emblem. The other chose a swarm of honeybees. Years passed by. Today there are fields for a long distance that are cursed with the thistle. Farmers just can't get rid of it. But the forests and the fields are laden with the sweetness of honey. Now, little did these two men realize what would grow out of their selections, either for good or for bad. And with all of us, the seemingly insignificant actions that we can make can impact future generations. Please turn to Proverbs, I'm sorry, to Galatians 6, verse 7 through 8. Galatians 6, 7 through 8, and you will see our core verse for today. Each choice that we make in life brings a consequence with it. If we make wise, God-honoring choices, then we will experience positive consequences. On the other hand, if we make sinful, disobedient choices, then we'll experience negative consequences. The way our selected text puts it, you will reap what you sow. Galatians 6, verse 7, As we sow, we will reap. It's axiomatic. Now, if you reflect on God's amazing power and His plan, the only thing God could not create in us is holy, righteous character. That takes time for us to allow God to build it in us. And we learn and build character over our entire physical existence and through the three laws of sowing and reaping. The first law states this. You reap what you have sown and then some. You reap what you have sown and then some. The earth is full of God's creation, and He puts some very simple laws in motion from the start. One is that each item reproduces after its kind. They always do. If you plant an apple seed, you will get an apple tree. You don't get corn. This thing is a little loose today. Planting fig seeds won't produce carrots. As science becomes better at understanding genetic code, they've come to understand that each plant is programmed in a single way. They will always produce that. And I should say, unless you biologically change the code. Now, you can ask any local farmer, and it's obvious to them, right? Before the soil is prepared, before the seed is planted, before the field is worked, the farmer has in mind what it is he wants to harvest. At certain times of the year, he prepares for a harvest of corn. At other times of the year, they plant soybean. He plants what he needs, and he will reap what he plants.

Now, the same law applies in our human lives. Like begets like. If we sow bad behavior, we will not produce good behavior. If we practice sin, we will suffer the consequences. That's why the verse in Galatians 6-7 starts with the phrase, do not be deceived. In other words, stop lying to yourself. We only become and stay holy through holy action. Einstein said the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. For 6,000 years, humanity has been eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And we have thought we would get it all figured out, and we would use our knowledge to create this utopia, this world peace. But it's a mirage. It can never happen. Man doesn't know the way to peace, and it's because the tree of the knowledge teaches the way of get, not the way of give, not the way of love. Keep a finger in Galatians, but if you'll please turn to Proverbs 24 and verse 12. Proverbs 24 and verse 12. This same principle applies spiritually. What we do physically impacts what we will reap spiritually. Satan broadcasts in moods and attitudes that bring people down. Christ, we're told, is the way, and the Spirit of God will lead us to a right attitude. But the lesson is we need to focus on the right things in our life if we're going to grow both physically and spiritually.

Proverbs 24, 12 says, Friends, we need to have our eyes on the harvest. You've heard about people who spend their time sowing their wild oats, and then they hope for crop failure. It doesn't work that way. If you plant corn, you are not going to get watermelons. You are going to get corn. And if you sow seeds of evil, you are not going to reap fruits of the Spirit. Now, I submit to you that not only do you reap what you sow, you will reap more than you sow.

Take, for instance, a farmer who plants a kernel of corn. That one kernel has the potential to produce a stock with several ears of corn. Say the stock produces two ears of corn. That would be approximately 1,600 kernels. If you plant one acorn, you will have a tree that produces thousands of acorns. And with that in mind, it's imperative that we personally sow the right seeds. God wants us to keep this multiplying effect in mind. A tiny word, a deed, a choice may seem small, but it can result in this massive harvest.

And one single desperate and corrupt act can reap an awful result for a lifetime, not just to us personally, but it can impact others. I mean, nothing else. Think of what happens with adultery. If you have a bitter angry disposition toward others, then don't be surprised that you receive hostility from others, even strangers.

But if you are planting seeds of kindness and of love, you will find that other people are kind and loving, even strangers. Law 2. You reap where you have sown and then sown. You reap where you have sown and then sown. There is this cumulative effect of sowing.

We may start with a few acres and make enough money to buy more if we have been successful. If we sow poorly, as the phrase goes, we lose the farm. Turn back to Galatians 6 and verse 8. The parable of the talents teaches the same principle. The point is, we don't start with a lot. What happens next is consequential. Galatians 6.8 says, for he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.

There's that word again. Flesh, our old, sinful nature. John Stott, a New Testament scholar, wrote, to sow to the flesh is to pander to it, to cuddle it, and stroke it instead of crucifying it. The flesh is the natural part of us that wants to live life on our own terms. Paul tells us that when we sow to the flesh, we will reap corruption. Corruption. Decay. Ruin. Destruction. Even though a believer may have the spirit in dwelling in them, the flesh still puts up a fight. The seeds we sow are what? They're largely thoughts. They're largely deeds. Every time we allow our mind to harbor a grudge, to nurse a grievance, to entertain an impure fantasy, to wallow in self-pity, what we're doing is sowing to the flesh.

When we sow to the flesh, then we're giving in to its sinful desires. We're failing to walk in the spirit. And instead, we're fulfilling the lust of the flesh. And over time, right, that rebellion against God will destroy us. It will destroy a person. Just like a fatal disease takes a life. So what are we doing? Are you and I sowing seeds of the flesh?

Now, there's two sides here, right? This whole sowing and reaping thing isn't all bad. There's also a positive side. There's another seed that can be sown, and it's the seed of the spirit. Galatians 6, 8 continues, But he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life.

Sowing to the spirit. To sow to the spirit means to do things that please God. If you want to make it simple, simply put, sowing to the spirit means allowing God's spirit to have its way in us. When we do this, then it will continually increase the Holy Spirit's influence in our lives. Because the truth is, we're sowing seeds every day. Every day is another new opportunity for us.

But the question is, are they seeds of the flesh, or are they seeds of the spirit? If we sow in many areas of our life with good things, we will reap in many areas, even beyond where we sow.

God promises he will bless our right actions in this life, and we will see an impact. The same process, he says, will continue for eternity. God is calling us to reap a reward, and it's not just for salvation. Jesus said people will rule over large amounts of cities and nations. So always remember we will reap where we sow, and then some. The third law is you will reap in a different season than you have sown. You will reap in a different season than you have sown.

When it comes to a harvest, there are certain times of the year that you harvest certain types of crops. When it's time to prepare the soil or plant the seed, what do we see around here? We see tractors working to prepare. Months later, when it's time to bring in the harvest, there will be people who are working tirelessly until the harvest is complete.

As you know around here in Illinois, you don't plant with the intention of harvesting in December. It's too late. It's too cold. But when the time does come to harvest, you will see activities seven days a week, unless it's a churchkeeper, until that harvest, until the job is done. Galatians 6-9, and let us not grow weary while doing good. For in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

So this law states you always pick after you plant. Spiritually speaking, the choices we make may not have immediate consequences. Oh, sure, some do. But there will eventually be consequences because you always pick after you plant. In due season, we will reap, is what we're told. But our nature is different, right? Our nature wants instant responses. That's how we're wired. We understand that the right thing is to be long-suffering. And if we live righteously, we'll have eternity, right?

We all know how to do acts of goodness and kindness, but lusts are big, and they're now. And long-suffering, that long part, it's hard. Another related thought is to recognize that last year's crops, whether they were good or whether they were bad, last year's crop is done. We can do nothing about last year's harvest. Now, we can ask for forgiveness if it was the wrong stuff, but we then must move on because we can change and have an impact only on the next crop.

Verse 10, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith. None of us can solve all the problems in the world, but we can help meet the needs we see daily. We can and should serve others in Christ's name. We must seize each and every opportunity that we get to do good. And this verse says the effort should start with the household of faith. With God's church, that's not saying a corporate name.

Only God knows who all makes up his body. And we'll have people in the kingdom who are of the household of faith, but not of our corporate name. And that's a beautiful thing. The key point that Paul is making is that now is the season for us to sow to the Spirit.

And notice that Paul uses this word opportunity. That's speaking of this distinct fixed time period. It's not saying just occasional moments here and there. Each and every day of our lives, we're blessed with this opportunity to sow to the Spirit. Now, a way to summarize these verses is don't play with God.

The stakes we're talking about are eternal life. And that's why Galatians 6 and 7 starts by saying, do not be deceived. God is not mocked. Do not be deceived is a word that literally means to turn up your nose to God. Man thinks they can live one way, doing whatever they want, but sow a different result. And the Bible doesn't say, if you plant poor choices, you might pick up your nose.

You might pick a crop of bad consequences. No. We can't sow wild oats and end up wanting and thinking we deserve good winter wheat. That's not the way it works. You can't live in sin and just thumb your nose at God and think you're going to get away with it, because it's a law. The consequences simply aren't always visible because the harvest takes time to come up. But like I started with, the only thing God couldn't create is character. God, our Creator, is focusing on people's character and how they live, rather than what they know or how they claim to live. JFK once famously said, what you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you are saying.

And Christ similarly said, you shall know people by their fruits. We're known by what we do in our lives. But we deceive ourselves. As humans, our greatest deception is self-deception. There are only two ways to live. Get and give. If you plant tomatoes, you're not going to reap a potato. The same is true in our lives. And to play that verse through, we're mocking God if we expect good when we're doing bad. If we expect spiritual when we're acting carnally. If we expect blessings when we're sowing cursings. Turn to 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10.

2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10. When we live life as if our rebellion against God has no consequences, we're acting in a very, very foolish way. That's part of why we have this feast on love and bread period. Why we have the Passover. Paul said, doing that mocks the justice of God. All of us owe something to God. Yes, God's grace is given freely, voluntarily, and not earned.

But God expects us to do something in return. And no one will ever disobey God's commandments and escape divine punishment. 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 10. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of God, of Christ. That each of us may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. So with that as a foundation, I'd like to spend the rest of the sermon applying this concept to us personally. The title for today's message is, We Reap from God What We Sow Toward Others. We reap from God What We Sow Toward Others.

Remember the big picture of why we exist. God is making us in his image. That means he wants to look on us like a mirror and see his reflection coming back. If that's what he sees, then we're reaping what he sowed in us through Christ's sacrifice, through giving the Holy Spirit. Now, I'd like us to look at four themed examples where God expands on this principle.

And what you're going to find is they follow our own journey of conversion and the path we walk through trying to become like God. The first is found in lessons we're taught about judgment and mercy. Lessons from judgment and mercy. Just about every state in the Union has its own set of really bizarre laws. Yet they're laws, and they're still on the books. If you violate them, you're guilty and you become a criminal. A couple examples that I found. In California, it's illegal for anyone to try to stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.

In Connecticut, it's illegal to walk across the street on your hands. In Illinois, it's illegal for anyone to smoke cigars. So don't do that. In Iowa, a single kiss is not allowed to last over five minutes. Man's laws are sometimes really dumb, and they almost beg to be violated. Especially the Iowa one. If I get remarried, I'm going to Iowa. I'm going to break that one.

But God's law is perfect. It's eternal. The law of our land says that a man is innocent, when? Until proven guilty. But it's not the same with the judge of the universe. God says that all men are guilty until they are made innocent through the blood of Jesus Christ. As humans, we don't look at crime the way God sees it. To us, stealing a penny is far less of a crime than robbing a bank. A broken signal light isn't nearly as offensive as drunk driving, reckless driving. But to God, it's all the same. God says that breaking His law is sin. And every sin, regardless of whether we think it's small and insignificant or really, really, really bad, carries with it the same punishment, eternal separation from God and death. You don't need to turn there. James 2.10 says, For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2.10. Now, there are a lot of religious people in the Church who work really, really hard and do their utmost trying to fulfill everything, yet they can't do it, right? No matter how hard we try or how much we want to obey God, there will come a time when we're all going to fail. Sometimes we fail knowingly and willfully. Sometimes we don't even know we've done that until we find out afterwards through the Holy Spirit or through the Word of God. And that's why James says that we're guilty of all, because no matter what law of God we disobey, the guilt and the punishment's the same. Do you think that's fair? If that's where it's stopped with God, you could argue it's not fair, but you have to understand the rest of what God is teaching us. Turn to Matthew 7, verses 1-2. Matthew 7, verses 1-2. In the eyes of God, there's no such thing as partial obedience or partial righteousness. God's law requires perfect obedience, and nothing less will do. Partial disobedience, you could say, is complete disobedience. Partial righteousness is complete unrighteousness. We now come to God using this sowing and this reaping principle to help us see if we're becoming like Him. Matthew 7, 1. Judge not that you be not judged, for with what judgment you judge, you will be judged. And with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. So we're supposed to strive daily, with each decision point we face in life, to become like God, to live like He wants us to, to live as He would have us do.

And even when we passionately do this, not one person except the Lord Jesus Christ has been able to keep the whole law without failing. As a result, every one of us must answer for our own life and our own sins. And when we realize this, it's impossible for us to call anyone good, and it's totally hypocritical to be arrogant or holier than thou and judge others. Turn now to James 2, verse 13.

Like a well planted seed, we learn that we will be judged according to what we do with the Gospel, with the mercy that Christ has given to us. And at that great white throne of judgment, what every rebellious sinner will stand before God, strict justice, will be the only thing shown by the judge. So think on that for a second. Since we're all guilty, how will God see those who are like Him? James 2, verse 13.

What did Christ say? And that should bring other verses to mind. You can see why Jesus said in Matthew 5, 7, that Jesus said in Matthew 5, succeeded in the point here, as we sow judgment and mercy toward others, we will receive it back from God. The sowing and reaping concept will next be applied, and I'll show it through forgiveness. Let's talk about some lessons through forgiveness. Please turn to Luke 6, verse 37, and we'll see a connection in this verse between judgment and forgiveness. Now, we already reviewed how we each rebelled against God. We each earn death, yet He is willing to overlook our offenses and to forgive us. And we found there are terms that are involved in this. Because of the great sacrifice that God made giving His life for the forgiveness of our sins, He demands that we also forgive others who trespass against us.

Luke 6, verse 37, Now, we all want to personally be forgiven. Here we see practicing forgiveness isn't negotiable. Instead, it's one of the hallmarks of true disciples of Jesus Christ.

It's so important to God that He won't forgive us if we refuse to forgive others. Turn now to Matthew 6, verse 14. And you can find the points made even clearer. The sowing and reaping lesson that Christ clarifies in this next verse is, We're forgiven by God to forgive others. We are forgiven by God to forgive others.

Matthew 6, verse 14.

Now, there's a popular saying that we've all heard that says, To err is human. To forgive is divine. To forgive someone means to overlook an offense and treat the offender as not guilty. Now, it's easy to forgive simple offenses, right? But offenses that cripple our future, those aren't so easy. Those are terribly hard. What if someone kills my son? What if someone rapes your wife? What if someone deliberately infects you with a deadly disease? The real question to ask is, Are we a disciple of Jesus Christ? If so, then we must forgive those that offend us. Forgiveness is a choice we each have to make throughout our lives. And it's not always easy to forgive, especially when there are these huge offenses, right? There are some grievous things that just churn you up inside and just tear you apart. But God expects us to forgive no matter the gravity of the offense.

And God knows very well the frailties of mankind, and He's made provision for forgiveness even while people wallow in sin. He set the example for all of us in the Istvathes. As you sow, you will reap. In very difficult situations, it's important to rely on the lead of God's Spirit, to depend on the sufficiency of God's grace, and the solace of knowing that ultimate judgment is God's. So why do you think God expects this of us? Oh, he's good to ask why. It goes back to the lesson of God wanting to see His image reflected when He sees us like a mirror.

Is He seeing results from what He planted inside of us? Unforgiveness is detrimental to the physical and the spiritual well-being of a person, and you've seen people who cannot let something go. We've all seen that happen. When a person refuses to forgive, it's just ugly. It leads to resentment and anger and malice and even murder. Unforgiveness eats the heart up of a person who holds it in. Cain is a classic example, right?

He was chided by God for an unworthy of offering, and He took out His anger on His brother. A rather massive forgiveness, He got defiant and wouldn't forgive His brother either, and instead let His anger boil and kill him.

Vengeance is the sole prerogative of God. Believers should forgive and allow God to avenge any wrongdoing that's done against them. Turn now to Ephesians 4, verse 32. Ephesians 4, verse 32. Again, this is tough. This act of forgiveness is toughest even when the offender refuses to even acknowledge they made an offense or ask for forgiveness. Yet Jesus did it. Stephen did it. And Christ expects you and I to do it as well if we are His disciples. Ephesians 4, verse 32. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another just as God and Christ forgave you.

Dr. Zimmerman was my next-door neighbor growing up. Put your name in there. We are forgiven to forgive. That's why we're forgiven. And through the process, we learn there is this power in forgiveness. It heals this tortured soul that we can have within us. And it opens the opportunity for eternity to all those who exercise it according to God's will.

Let's put this one into the sermon title. As we sow forgiveness toward others, we will reap it from God. Let's go on to the third part. And that is righteousness. The next topic is righteousness. Turn to Hosea 10, verse 12. Hosea 10 and verse 12. Now, although Hosea penned this to Israel thousands of years ago, it really applies very well to America and our world today. Hosea had just warned of this impending judgment. And like Israel, we all need to repent of sin.

We all need to return to God and live faithfully. But God then presents this opportunity for repentance and restoration through Hosea. And He uses this principle of sowing and reaping. Hosea 10, verse 12. So for yourself righteousness, reap in mercy. Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to see the Lord, till He comes and reigns righteousness on you.

Now, you don't have to have a degree in agriculture to understand these principles, right? All people, regardless of generation, regardless of background, ultimately know we reap what we sow. Hosea stressed for Israel to consider their actions. And so the verse starts with this challenge being extended. And it says, so for yourself righteousness, you're going to reap in mercy. Other translations say, so for yourself in righteousness, reap according to lovingkindness or mercy.

The word it has said, God was extending this direct challenge to Israel, but it required participation. Isn't that typical of our Christian journey? Like many before them, those in Israel refused to admit their need for God. Israel hadn't been sowing righteousness. And he points that out in verse 13. If you look at it, he says, you have plowed wickedness, you have reaped iniquity.

Continuing the analogy. If they were to avoid judgment, if they were to enjoy God's blessing, they must begin to sow in righteousness. The same is true for us. But Israel had no desire to serve God or to live according to his way. Yet they lived in this imaginary fantasy world that was void of any reality because they viewed themselves as God's chosen people, but refused to think that God wouldn't in any way bring judgment on them for disobedience.

God challenged them to examine their own lives and personally engage in actions of repentance and righteous behavior. But they didn't. And we all can face that same thing of complacency or denial of truth. Again, why this Holy Day season is here. Why we're always supposed to be reflecting. And Hosea highlights that rather than living as we please and seeking only to satisfy the flesh, God challenges us to sow in righteousness in order to reap his mercy. And he reminded them of this unchangeable truth that the law of sowing and reaping isn't going to change. You see it physically, it'll happen spiritually.

We always reap what we sow, where we sow, later than we sow, and more than we sow. It's sobering thoughts, but it applies both physically and spiritually. And if we're to enjoy the blessings of God, and if we're to see the church grow stronger, we too must each sow in righteousness. You know, it's human nature. It is so easy as church members that we can lay blame for our decline at the feet of the world, at the feet of the devil, and not sense the need for personal improvement in our own spiritual lives.

Right? We can believe our lack of commitment to God is not in any way contributing to the spiritual condition in our world or in the church. And the truth is we all share responsibility for the health and growth of the church. And if we're not pleased how anything is going, we need to look within. What are we sowing today? Are we sowing seeds of peace and love and encouragement and righteousness? Or are we sowing seeds of anger and bitterness and discord?

What are we doing? Verse 12 continues this agricultural analogy and explains the works that are required for each of us. God challenges Israel's regarding their condition of their lives and what they need to do to properly cultivate the seeds that he is planting. And the cultivation required is for us to break up our fallow ground. Now, there's no doubt the Israelites understood what the Lord meant. Right? If there's to be any help of a harvest, then the soil has to be prepared. The fallow ground is speaking of, I mean, we could see it right now.

I was trying to dig something up in our front yard and it was hard as a rock. You have situations where the ground has been neglected. It's been hardened. Maybe you have weeds and briars that overtake over time. They had to be cultivated. The ground had to be loosened up in order to receive the seed. That should bring to mind Christ's parable of the sower. Right? Similar concept. For any hope of God finding an eventual harvest within us, then the fallow ground within us has to be cultivated and prepared for planting.

No doubt we all have areas in our lives that have been neglected, that need attention. What we cannot expect to enjoy is a fulfilling relationship with God if we have areas within us that are marked off-limit to God. We must be sensitive to God leading us and be willing to address the spiritual issues within our lives.

And it could be in a lot of areas. It may be like Israel that we're growing complacent in our walk with God. We may be lacking in prayer or Bible study. It could be any type of need where our relationship has been hindered, where it needs to be restored.

Whatever the need is, we must be willing to allow the Holy Spirit to break up those areas in our lives and take over the action and attitudes of what God's Spirit wants us to be focusing on. Now, while Israel may not have desired to admit their needs, I have no doubt that they were aware of it. Because the Bible shows stories of countless warnings and admonitions taking place. And I'm certain the Spirit is already revealed to each of us, the areas in us that we need to put attention to.

We all have great potential for God to use. And here He reveals the commitment He expects and that He requires. You could look at this verse and it says God was pleading with Israel to renew their commitment to Him, to serve Him. And instead, as you know, they did not, and they were conquered by the Assyrians. Now, our situation is different, but the urgency remains.

The question is, are you and I willing to break up our follow ground in order to see the harvest? For all of the virtues that we're discussing, right? We've talked about judgment and mercy and forgiveness and now righteousness. God was the one to first sow the seeds of these in our lives.

His grace delivered us from condemnation and set us free from bondage. He set the example. He showed the attitude and the approach that we are supposed to emulate. But now is our time to sow and to reap. Now is the time that God is looking at us.

And He is wanting to see whether we are reigning righteousness in our lives so He can reign it back on us. That's tit for tat. Are we capitalizing on what He has started within our lives? I believe we can't even imagine what God could do with the body of believers because this concept was applied fully within all of us. And a lot of people we know in the world and even in the church can view church as a once a week thing.

Well, the church is not a place we visit. It's a lifestyle we're expected to live. It's not a building. It's the body of Christ. And the need for Christ's return and His kingdom, just look in the world, it's more urgent every single day. And so we need to continually pursue and seek this principle until we get what we long for, spiritual renewal in this world around us. So again, the principle is, as we sow righteousness toward others, we will reap righteousness and mercy from God.

Let's go on to the final lesson about sowing and reaping, and we learn that from lovingly giving and doing good for others. Please turn to Luke 6 and verse 38. Luke 6, 38. And as you turn there, I'm going to again go over a very foundational, basic part of Christianity.

God is a gopi love. He reflects a love that's outwardly focused, that's absolutely unconditional. He gave His Son that our sins could be forgiven, and so we can repent and become like Him, the mirror. He sowed His Spirit in us so that we can become a gopi love like He is. And at His resurrection, He's going to evaluate if that seed has flowered and if He finds a good harvest that He can see being reaped back within us.

Now, here's the link that I want you to understand. There is a hinge on which the door of love hangs, and that hinge is giving. Luke 6, verse 38. Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure. Press 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.

The message translation of the Bible is a transliteration, which means it's concept for concept, not word for word. It puts it this way. Give away your life, you'll find life given back, but not merely given back. Given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. There was a story I read about a five-year-old boy who came up to his dad and says, Daddy, can I please have some money?

And the dad said, No. The boy went back and tried a couple other times, and the dad each time said, No. So he then went to his mom and explained the situation. That evening, the mom talked to her husband, and she said, Now, John, I want you to give Davy some money. And dad again said, No. She then helped him learn an important lesson.

She said, John, you are so hard-headed. Give Davy some money. Give Davy some money. He wants to buy you a Father's Day gift. Turn to Ephesians 6, verse 8. Ephesians 6, verse 8. Let's personalize this story. What can you and I give to God? Right? All good gifts come from the Father above. We have nothing unless we're blessed by His hand.

Ephesians 6, verse 8. Knowing that whatever good anyone does, He will receive the same from the Lord, whether He is a slave or free. See, there's one basic question that we all must ask. And the question is not, How much should I give to God?

The real question is, How much of God's money and blessings should I keep? God loves it when the giver delights in the giving. All the sowing and the reaping that we've discussed up to this point really leads up to this point, right? I read this story about the Jews in the Nazi death camps. And a survivor of one of the death camps, you may recognize the name Treblinka, wrote a powerful lesson.

And it seems the survivors of the Nazi death camps had one thing in common, and the way Treblinka described it is, they had an attitude of determined giving. It's a beautiful phrase. Determined giving. If a prisoner was near starvation, and all he had was a morsel of bread and a scrap of potato, that survivor would still share it with his comrades if he saw him in extreme suffering. And those who shared their food were changed. They were spiritually and psychologically stronger, and they would live.

Treblinka went on to say that in his group, we shared everything, and God would bless us. And he went on to say, the moment someone in the group stopped sharing, we knew it was the beginning of the end for that person. In conclusion, turn to 2 Corinthians 9 and verse 6. 2 Corinthians 9, 6. God is going to give to each person according to the fruit of our doing. The law of the harvest can be summarized this way.

Every choice has a consequence. Good choices have good consequences. If we sow honesty, we reap trust. Poor choices have unpleasant consequences. If you sow selfishness, you're going to reap loneliness. And that's why the new commandment that Jesus taught just before his death was, we are to love one another just as he has loved us. That's why John wrote in 1 John 4, 12, that if we love one another, God abides in us, and his love has been perfected in us.

Let's now read the verse you're at, 2 Corinthians 9 and verse 6. But this I say, He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Friends, we know there are some fantastic things behind the curtain when God reveals his rewards that he hasn't planned for his kingdom. What are you and I sowing in our lives? The principle of sowing and reaping teaches that we can't play games with God.

We will reap what we sow. If we're only into planting so that we can pick personally, then we've missed the point. If we're carnally minded, we will reap death.

If we're spiritually minded, we will reap life. What will be tomorrow is based upon the choices we make today. So let's keep on planting good seeds, because good choices lead to good habits, which lead to a good harvest, and that's both for us and for others.