“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6, KJV)
Every farmer knows this universal principle. My grandmother moved from Trenton NJ to the country side. She was born and raised in the farmlands and always wanted to return to her roots. So, she purchased three acres of land and had a house built. After moving in, she decided to have a garden. We went out and took probably a small portion of the land and prepared the soil. It meant cutting away the brush and trees in the field, removing the stumps and rocks, and tilling the soil. After this, we decided to sow the seed. We had carrots, celery, corn, beans, watermelon, etc. After the first year, it became apparent that she wanted to expand the garden to get more produce.
The next year, we expanded the garden to twice its size. Yet just expanding the square footage of the garden and preparing the soil was not enough. We needed to double the quantity of seed that we sowed in the field. Doubling the quantity of seed sown would logically double the harvest. This is exactly what happened.
Now, I have heard this principle used in a variety of ways. One preacher I heard used it as a give-to-get scheme. In other words, the more you give the more God will give you. This has some truth to it, but only some. The problem was that there was a principle of personal greed implied in his presentation. Yes, it is true that you cannot outgive God but we need to look at this in the proper context. Paul takes this up later in the text.
The problem that the preacher that used this principle of reaping and sowing as a give-to-get scheme is that his getting was focused on personal wealth. Yet was this the harvest of which Paul had written? No, it was not. Paul wrote of a spiritual harvest. Those who sow sparingly will reap a sparce spiritual harvest. Those who sow bountifully will reap a bountiful spiritual harvest. The context of Paul’s writing has to do with the work of building the kingdom.
I know of many people who followed the give-to-get-rich system and were immensely disappointed. Some have given away thousands in this hope. They were deceived by that teaching. They missed the point that by giving for the cause of Christ there would be a spiritual harvest, fruit that would last for all eternity. Jesus stated it,
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21, KJV)
Follow this principle and you will be blessed. You may never be a millionaire on this earth but your reward in heaven will be great.
Renewing the Heart 