Scripture Text: Galatians 6:6-10
Memory Verse: But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2 Corinthians 9:6
Lesson Aim: To emphasize the importance of understanding the principle of sowing and reaping and to encourage a lifestyle of generous giving.
Key Points
- We need to gain a good grasp of the principle of sowing and reaping (giving and receiving) because this principle affects every aspect of our lives.
- We must expect that God will do what He says and what He has promised in His Word.
- If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly. If we sow bountifully, we will reap bountifully.
In one of the previous lessons, we discussed stewardship and we noted that good stewardship requires a gracious move of God. We need to know and understand God’s will, then co-labor with God by exercising our faith. Once we understand our role as God’s stewards, we need to gain a good grasp of the principle of sowing and reaping because this principle also affects every aspect of our lives. This principle has been in place since Genesis when God declared, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease” Genesis 8:22. All truth is parallel. It applies in the natural as well as the spiritual.
Many times we are quick to point out, “You reap just what you sow” in the negative context, but we tend to be timid and unbelieving when asked to apply the same principle in the positive context. Somehow it seems easier to believe in negative outcomes than for positive results. Because of our adamic nature, negative results occur quite naturally without much conscious effort. However, the same way that negative seeds produce negative results, positive seeds bring forth a positive harvest. Nonetheless, we must exercise our faith and co-labor with God to reap the positive.
God gets great pleasure out of our believing His Word and our expecting of Him. After all, without faith it is impossible to please Him. If we come to Him, we must believe that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. He wants us to come to Him, but we must expect that God will do what He says and what He has promised in His Word. Although giving and receiving extends beyond just our finances, when we talk about money we quickly get the attention of most people.
God gave Israel principles and promises under the Old Covenant that ensured their success if they were obedient. There was a whole set of laws that governed giving: tithing, freewill offerings, sacrificial offerings, etc. These concepts had to be hammered into them because man’s basic nature is not to give. He would rather receive and hoard. However, as new creatures in Christ, we take on the image of Christ, the Master Giver, and our nature is being transformed. This can happen only if we allow the principles of the Kingdom to be written in our hearts. The blessings come when we are doers of the Word and not hearers only.
We must understand that we should give to God expecting to receive from Him. We have to change our thinking to recognize that giving is also an act of worship. Just as we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, we should offer our possessions, our resources, and our skills, likewise, realizing that all we do should be to glorify God and build His Kingdom. We must be conscious to give our best and all that God asks. Then we should expect to receive all that He gives, keeping in mind that we will receive in accordance with what we give.
Questions and Discussion
- What is the one continuing law throughout the Bible that tells us how to receive? Genesis 8:22; Obadiah 1:15; Matthew 7:12; Galatians 6:7-8; Ephesians 6:8
- What can we learn from these Old Testament examples of giving? Genesis 14:18-20; Exodus 35:4-9, 20-22; 36:6-7; Leviticus 19:9-10; 1 Kings 17:13-16
- Is there any relationship between how much you give and what you receive? 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Luke 6:38; Malachi 3:10; Luke 21:1-4 Discuss.
- How can we maximize the principle of sowing and reaping? Haggai 1:6-7; Acts 20:35; Galatians 6:9; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 2 Corinthians 9:6-7