Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Proportions

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  2 Corinthians 9:6
The fifth law –
We Reap in Proportion to What we Sow – deals with Human Responsibility as well as the SCOPE of our planting.  If the farmer only planted 1 bushel per acre, his harvest would be considerably smaller than if he planted the full amount. God determines how much the seed will multiply. The farmer determines how much seed he will sow. Law 4, We Reap More Than We Sow,  was GOD's part, and Law 5 has to do with OUR part.
This law operates both negatively and positively. Sowing to our desires and drives will yield the product of the flesh.  Sowing to the Spirit will increase the fruit of the Spirit. 
God’s Law
  • If you want to be rich GIVE!
  • If you want to be poor GRASP!
  • If you want abundance SCATTER!
  • If you want to be needy HOARD!
The World's Philosophy, that of man's wisdom, is typically just the opposite.
  • GET ALL YOU CAN
  • CAN ALL YOU GET
  • THEN, SIT ON THE CAN.
Proportionately, this signifies a relationship between quantities such that if one varies then another varies in a manner dependent on the first. The motivation behind bountifully is not "sow a whole bunch so you can get a whole bunch."  It is not the "Have a need? Plant a seed!" philosophy promoted in religious circles.
God does not tell us to give in order to get but to give in order to give more!! The motivation and emphasis of this law is to do good and be a blessing.
In grace sowing, you give so that God is glorified and others receive a blessing. 
There is a promise of return, but it is to increase our seed for sowing, greater giving, and increase the harvest of our righteousness, spiritual fruit for the glory of God. One act of giving does not produce a harvest of blessing.  A good man is known by his character, not one act. 
This law is quoted often in these two statements:
  • You get out of something what you put into it. 
  • You can’t get something for nothing. 
Minimum Effort does not equal Maximum Benefit!  We live in a “get it for the minimum effort” society.  We are prone to try to repeal the law of sowing and reaping, sever the connection between action and consequence or responsibility and blessing. A common universal human mindset is that people want to enjoy the benefits without paying the price.  It just does not work that way.  So we need to be careful what kind of seeds we plant.  Don’t be stingy with your life. Sow all you can whenever you can, knowing that you will reap in proportion to the amount sown.
Scripture to Claim:
Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.  Ecclesiastes 11:6

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