Galatians 6:9-10
Thoughts from Jed Carpenter
Dive Deeper
“Let’s not become discouraged in doing good, for in due time we will reap, if we do not become weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let’s do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.”
Galatians 6:9-10
Behind the Scenes
The Apostle Paul uses imagery in this passage that, for most of us, is somewhat abstract or unfamiliar: reaping and sowing. What he is referring to here is the process of growing crops, an illustration that would make a ton of sense to the original hearers of this passage. Most people, whether they personally grew their own food or not, were well acquainted with the process of growing crops. They understood the implied meaning when Paul writes “in due time we will reap”.
So, let’s take a closer look behind the scenes of this analogy so we can better understand what Paul is saying here. The process of reaping and sowing in ancient times included long hours of hard work. First the field would need to be plowed, rocks and weeks would need to be removed. Tilling up the land was hard, back-breaking work that took long hours behind a plow. If a field was not well plowed, the seed would not get deep enough to take root. So, it mattered that they did it right even though it was hard.
Next, seeds would be scattered by hand. Step by step the farmer would walk his field, spreading seed over the freshly torn ground. He didn’t have the use of automatic seed spreaders or machines that made this easy. Instead, he had to humbly and carefully walk every inch of plowed ground to spread the seed.
After that, the farmer would re-plow his field to help churn up the ground to accept the seed. This also kept the birds from eating all the seeds and stealing the possibility of future crops. The farmer would repeat this whole process a few months later, reseeding the ground once again.
Then came a time of waiting and praying. Once the farmer had done all he could do to seed his fields, the rest was in God’s hands. Only God could send the rain his crops needed. Only God could make the seeds take root and grow. Only God could hold back scorching heat that would kill the crops. In the time of waiting, the farmer had no other choice than to trust God. If he had done his part well, he could wait with confidence that he had done all he could do. But once the growing season started, there was no time to go back and reseed the field.
And then came the harvest. After months and months of waiting and praying, constantly hoping that nothing would hinder a good harvest, now it was time to bring it in! But that too was a long and laborious task. Hour by hour, day by day, the farmer would work to bring in the harvest. Reaping took just as much, if not more work than the sowing took. But the result was worth the effort, bringing life and security for the year to come.
Make it Real
See, this is the message Paul is conveying to the readers of his letter and to us today. Righteousness, both personal righteousness and righteous deeds toward others, is much like the process of sowing and reaping. There are some strong lessons to be learned here:
First, righteousness often means tilling up long overgrown ground. It requires breaking up soil in our lives that has been left undisturbed for too long. It requires taking the time to dig deep so the seeds of Christ’s righteousness can take hold. It means pulling out weeds that would choke out the truths of God and removing rocks that would stand in the way of God’s spirit moving in our lives. It takes work and intention. It isn’t a light switch that we can flip, but instead it is a process we must undertake one step at a time.
Second, righteousness means intentionally and thoughtfully planting the seeds of God’s truth over every single inch of our life. It means slowing down enough to take every step required to make sure the seed gets in deep. Again, it calls for intentionality, thoroughness, and care.
Next comes waiting and trusting. See this entire process is about obediently walking out what God has called us to do, trusting that He will do His part. We have to rely on God to do what only God can do and trust Him to do it in His perfect timing. So often we get this part wrong. We either try to do His part, not trusting in His faithfulness, or we try to rush His timing, always wanting God to bend to our timeline instead of the other way around. Both attitudes will mean a failed crop. Instead, from the moment we start tilling up the soil of our life, we have to decide in our hearts to do it God’s way from start to finish.
Then finally we see the harvest. But even in that, there is always work. It takes carefully and thoughtfully walking in the good harvest of what God has grown in our lives, always giving Him glory for the harvest, and knowing that this harvest is just the beginning. Every good farmer knows that the harvest you bring in today holds the seeds that you will plant tomorrow. The same is true in our spiritual walk. The growth that you gain today will be the very thing that seeds future growth tomorrow.
As we learn to view our lives in this rhythm of cooperation with God, we will see a good harvest produced time and time again. As we learn to be faithful to do our part, walk in obedience, and surrender to the Lord, we will have the blessing of being a part of God’s bigger plan… not just for our own lives, but for the lives of others too!
Crystal Garnett
ACF Digital Discipleship Team Lead
End in Prayer
Lord,
I want to see Your harvest in my life. So, please show me what steps are mine to take, how you are calling me to walk in obedience, and in what ways I need to be more intentional and diligent. But even more, show me how to trust in You FULLY to bring it to pass. I want it to be Your harvest in my life, not my own. Please plant Your seeds in my heart and make them grow in the way that only You can.
In Jesus name,
Amen