SOW TO REAP
It is a common proverb that man will reap whatever he sows. In the scripture, the principle of sowing and reaping is a key spiritual concept that believers need to incorporate into their lives. In the secular world, the general belief is, the more we invest in a business outfit, the greater returns we expect to get. The same principle is true in the spiritual realm. The Scripture says that, he that sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully; (2Cor. 9:6). Similarly, whoever sows to please the flesh will reap corruption from the flesh but whoever sows to the Spirit will reap everlasting life; (Gal. 6:8). When we give through tithes and offerings, we give to God in appreciation of His unconditional love and bountiful blessings. God Himself is a kind and generous giver and christians are expected to reciprocate His kindness by giving to the needs of His church and for effective propagation of the gospel as faithful children and abiding stewards. The Lord takes pleasure in those who take kingdom investment as a priority obligation because it is a demonstration of their commitment to Him with a promise of overflowing blessings; (Mal 3:10).
The desire of God is for His children to make regular kingdom investments as means of providing sufficient resources for the promotion of His Kingdom here on earth. If we fail to do so, He said we are thieves, robbing Him and He cursed the defaulters; (Mal 3:9). So, investing properly in the kingdom of God brings much gain, prosperity of soul, healing and blessings of all kinds. Therefore, it makes sense for abiding believers to be wise and ready to invest generously and wholeheartedly on things of eternal values as much as possible according to our capacity and as we have opportunities to do so. Once any investment is made, it cannot be taken away by anything or anyone because investments in the Kingdom of God are eternal. They are kept in heaven for us along with our salvation as incorruptible inheritance that can never perish, spoil nor fade. (1 Peter 1:4). When we invest our time, talent and treasure on things of earthly values, we sow to the flesh and live according to the flesh. The Scripture says that, if we live according to the flesh, we will die; but if we put to death the flesh and sow to the Spirit, we will live; (Rom 8:13).
Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to give our substance to the Lord if we cannot give ourselves to Him. Even if we do, our substance will not be acceptable to Him because it is an abominable offering; (Prov 15:8). Therefore, the first thing to do is to give up all our sins and return to God in repentance for forgiveness, pardon and reconciliation with the Almighty through Christ. It takes humility of heart to be ready for change, and unless we recognize our limitations, it will be very hard to give ourselves up to the Saviour, after which we can offer our substances to God. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God…; (Mat. 6:33). However, the good news is, no one who has engaged consistently in making Kingdom Investments a priority has ever regretted doing so, except such commitment is powered by the flesh. We must be careful not to sow to the flesh by ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’! To pay tithes and make offerings from ill-gotten wealth is abomination before God. Simply put, while sowing to the flesh might look great at first, the end of it is disastrous and damnable because the gains of the flesh will eventually rot on the body as vanity of vanities and vexation of the Spirit; (Eccl 1:2,14).
