Galatians 6:7-8
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Every action produces results, and every result tends to be of the kind that was sown. If we gossip about our friends, we should not be surprised to find that we do not have as many friends or that people are more guarded in their relationships with us. The seeds of gossip can produce only bad fruit.
In Matthew 7:16-18, Jesus confirms the concept of results to actions, when He stated, “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. “
Another corollary to reaping what is sown, is that reproduction tends toward increase. A negative physical illustration of this corollary are “weeds in our gardens”, while a positive illustration is the power of “compound interest”. When we put the concepts of “reaping what we sow” with the reproduction tending toward increase, together, we find that no matter what a person sows, unless something intervenes to interrupt the cycle, more will be produced than was sown. One can fake living according to God’s standards and morals for a while, but no matter how careful a person is, the fruit produced by their life will betray them. As Numbers 32:23 says, “But if you will not do so [as God commands], behold, you have sinned against the LORD; and be sure your sin will find you out.”
No one knows how long it will take and how much fruit will be produced, but sin will produce spiritual weakness, even though sin may be concealed with great effort and acts of hypocrisy. Sin’s results of bitterness, divisiveness, weak understanding, confusion, and spiritual lethargy will surface, over time. There may be several variables that could affect the amount and timing of bad fruit’s appearance, but because of the principles of “reaping what we sow” and the “compounding of reproduction”, greater tragic results will be produced over time, than originally sown, unless the cycle of sin is broken by repentance. Consider repenting, today!
