Aug 21 Devotion: What Are You Reaping?

2 Corinthians 9:6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

         Have you ever heard someone say, “I don’t have a dog in the fight”? It is an old country saying that means, I don’t have anything invested in the subject that you are talking about. It doesn’t concern me. Considering the above Bible verse from 2 Corinthians 9, do you have a dog in the fight when it comes to the things of God? Are you invested in the ministry? If your answer is no, then you should not expect any reaping of spiritual blessings. But if your answer is yes, then the next question is, how much are you invested and why are you investing?

         To sow “sparingly” is to not put much into it. You come to church sometimes, you put a little money in the offering, you shake the pastor’s hand as you leave and tell him the message was good. Does that sum up the bulk of your investment? Then “sparingly” is the proper word that describes it. What are the dividends you are expecting in return from such an investment? You are not going to receive much. How can we say that? Because God says so in the verse. If you sow “sparingly” you will “reap also sparingly”.

         What if you sow “bountifully”? The Bible says there will be a bountiful reaping. This verse could not be any plainer. But we also need to understand the motive behind the sowing. If you are sowing “sparingly”, then the ministry is obviously not a high priority for you. But that does not mean if you sow “bountifully” that the ministry is automatically a high priority. It could mean that you are giving to get. That is a covetous, greedy motive. It is not a motive that will reap “bountifully”. You see, God knows the thoughts and intents of the heart, and his word reveals it. He knows why we all do what we do. His discernment of our motives is perfectly accurate.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

         So, what can we learn from this? Sowing little returns little. Sowing much can return much if it is done for the right reason. Now, let us end this devotion with a biblical example of what is the right reason.

Matthew 22:36-37

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

         Let us sow bountifully because we love the Lord supremely. He is worthy of our all.

In Christ’s Service,

Bro. Adrian Moore

2 Cor. 4:5