He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. – 2 Corinthians 9:6
An axiom is a governing principle or rule of thumb. Here are some examples: Birds fly, water is wet, fire is hot, and what goes up must come down. There are spiritual axioms too, including the one in today’s verse: A man reaps what he sows. That axiomatic statement is as real as any of the others, but it’s not believed to the same degree as the others. We reap what we sow in all of life—not just where money is concerned, which is how this axiom usually applied.
A little boy was told by his father to go outside and do some planting in the garden. The boy was lazy and didn’t feel like doing all that work, so he dug one hole, dumped all the seeds in, and covered them up. He went back inside and told his dad the work was done, forgetting that what he planted would reveal itself—and his laziness—in time. He would one day reap what he sowed.
According to our axiom, if we don’t sow seeds, we shouldn’t expect a harvest. Many Christians want a great harvest from God, but they have sown very few seeds for God.
Your harvest depends on what you sow. If you plant potatoes, potatoes will grow. To plant the flesh means you will simply live to gratify yourself. But to plant the Spirit is to live for the glory of God.