“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NIV)
The goal of a red peas farmer is to go onto his properly ploughed farmland and plant his seed with the expressed desire of getting red peas. Is there an expectation to get cucumber? Melon? Absolutely not; he is expected to reap red peas in a couple of weeks. This is consistent with the fact that whatever you plant or sow is what will be returned to you. This is considered the law of reproduction and is applicable to all areas of one’s life, especially your finances.
Another way to explain the law of reproduction is this: You reap what you sow.
You choose whether this will be applicable in your life, positively or negatively. If you’re planting seeds of kindness, people will be kind to you. If you forgive others, they will be forgiving of you. If you’re generous, people will show generosity to you. On the contrary, if you choose to shortchange people, they will shortchange you. If you “chat” people, be sure to know people will, in return, “chat” you.
The law of reproduction says that you reap what you sow, but the principle of multiplication says that you also always reap more than you sow.
When you put one kernel of corn in the ground, you don’t get one kernel of corn back. You get a cornstalk with multiple ears on it and hundreds of kernels on each of those ears. This is the multiplier effect that God has universally established. You always get more out of it than you put into it.
I firmly believe that a lot of people have yet to grasp the principle of sowing and reaping. As a result, they have not prospered in the way God intended. If we want to receive a bountiful crop, we must sow bountifully. This is even more telling if you are sowing in fertile soil and have experienced the manifest power of God move in your life after sowing. Several such experiences are proof that you can put God to the test. One such soil is the “Pentecostal Legacy Project.” I share my own testimony. I took a seed envelope to sow into the project, and the amount I saw was surprising. I wondered how this would be financed considering my other many expenses. But I was reminded of 2 Corinthians 9:10, “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”
One day while at work, I was prayerfully talking to God about my needs. To my amazement, later in the day, I saw an email pop up in my mailbox. I was astonished to see an email from an unexpected institutional source indicating a payment to me that was three (3) times the seed amount. To God be the glory, again he rewarded my faithfulness by providing the seed and leaving change; oh, by the way, I again sowed from the remaining sum. If we sow seeds bountifully in faith and obedience, we will reap a bountiful harvest!
Proverbs 11:24 says, “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.”