We Reap What We Did Not Sow

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
There are laws in this world you just have to live with.  It does not matter who you are or what you know, you have to deal with them. Such laws require no belief to exist or impact our lives.  Our existence relies on these laws and succumbs to their effect. The law of gravity applies to every person and all matter on the earth. Man can no more make these laws than Newton could make gravity; he can only discover these laws and live his life in accordance with them.

Just as there are physical laws that stand, so there are spiritual laws, called the laws of the Harvest, every man must deal with.

All true laws, physical or spiritual:

• Operate whether we know about them or are ignorant of them.
• Are inviolable, absolute and unfailing. 
• Will change for no one.

God is a God of order, and everything He does is orderly according to fixed laws of operation.  Of all of these laws, the Laws of the Harvest are among the most significant and impacting on our lives.

We Reap What We Did Not Sow
The first of the laws of the Harvest is that we reap what we did not sow.  This means that we may have some consequences, good and bad, in our lives from others.  For example, – It is a long list of benefits we have received from other people and their labor.  We get much we did not work for or may not even deserve. Some of the people you may have reaped benefits from are:

• God
• Parents
• Friends
• Teachers
• Country
• Saints

We have been given daily grace and mercy beyond description, not to mention Salvation from God. Every good gift we enjoy comes from God. Others, such as our parents, friends, teachers, etc. have poured into our lives and planted seeds to help us grow.  Men and women who don’t even know us have fought and given their lives so we can have the freedoms we enjoy today.  These are all benefits we reap that we did not sow.  Someone sowed them for us. 

Unfortunately we may also have some negative and painful consequences in our lives that we did not sow as well.  Sin hurts people and the consequences of sin don't just fall on the sinner, they often spill over onto the innocent victims of someone's sin. Some of the generations that have gone ahead may have done things that can cause pain in our lives and make things hard for us, when we had no part in it.  A parent’s drug addiction or alcoholism will certainly have a negative consequence on a child’s life.  Poor financial decisions can lead to poverty which can adversely affect the whole family.

Sow Good Deeds and Love

We need to be doing good while we can. Do we really realize the far-reaching implications of our choices on the lives of others—children, family members, co-workers, friends?  Through loving others we plant the seeds of love to be harvested in another person's life. We need to live as though love were the greatest, for it is!    

So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.  Galatians 6:10