An Idea That Crossed My Mind
I was out walking a few nights ago to think through business strategy, and the thought came to me that in business, my focus should be NOT on seeking greater financial abundance (my income), but on the abundance of opportunities I have to serve and give to others (my output) – and along with other sound business principles and systems in place – that the net income will take care of itself. I was thinking of this in terms of Second Corinthians 9:6.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
My thinking was, “If I want to reap more generously, my focus needs to be on sowing more generously – not on reaping more generously.” In other words, I should focus on giving more, not on receiving more – sowing, not on reaping. This sounds altruistic, but it may also be a good recipe for “broke-ness” – a harvest NO ONE wants to receive!
So as is the case with anything in life, as Christians we have to take a step back and test our ideas against all of scripture. Remember, Satan himself even cherry-picked bible verses to try to tempt Jesus to sin (Matthew 4:1-11). But Jesus wasn't having it! Nor should we. So let’s scrutinize that thought that came to me.
Should We Focus More on Sowing, or on Reaping?
To answer this question, we need to ask ourselves, “Which does God focus on more?”
In John 15.1-2, Jesus says, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” And in Luke 3:8-9, John the baptist says to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance… and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Jesus also curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit (Matthew 21.19).
We have to remember that God always focuses on what we receive (reap or produce), not just on what we give (sow). He judges what we reap (our harvest) because what we reap (or receive) reveals the true nature of what was sown.
So we can see here that God focuses on what we reap – the results, the fruit, the harvest.
What Kind of Quality and Quantity Does God Desire from Our Harvest?
Let’s go back to the very beginning. In the very beginning, God designed all his creation for high quality and high quantity – for perpetuation and reproduction.
High Quality
God modeled “quality” (and “sustainability”) for us. God created some things one time, and they were perpetuated without “reproduction.” He created the heavens and the earth once, expecting us to take care of it (Genesis 2:15) and not to defile (Leviticus 18:24-28) or destroy it (Revelation 11:18). He created light once (Genesis 1:3), water once (Genesis 1:2), the sky once (Genesis 1:6-8), land once (Genesis 1:9-10), and the seas once (Genesis 1:10). (Side note: being created in His image, we should follow God’s example (Ephesians 5:1) and focus on creating high quality in our work that lasts in whatever we do.)
Let’s go back to the very beginning. In the very beginning, God designed all his creation for high quality and high quantity – for perpetuation and reproduction.
High Quantity
He told Adam to be fruitful and multiply. And in the end, we are going to be judged on the fruit of our own lives – our deeds (Revelation 21:12-13). It’s been said, “You can’t take it with you when you go” (meaning worldly possessions), but one thing will go with us… our deeds – our fruit (Revelation 14:13; Revelation 19:6-9).
In another example of God’s focus on quantity, in Matthew 25:14-30, God himself even refuses to give to a servant who isn’t producing (contrary to government programs that incentivize laziness and perpetuate the victimhood mentality). In fact, he even called the servant wicked and lazy, and although he had very little, God took away what he had and gave it to the servant who was producing the most.
In Luke 6:44, Jesus even says that a tree is recognized by its fruit; and that a nurtured seed will only reproduce what was sown – even thirty, sixty, or a hundred times (John 15:1-9; Matthew 13:8, 23; Mark 4:8, 20; Luke 8:8, 15). So Jesus even tells us that we ARE to focus on results as the true indicator of what we have sown (Galatians 6:7), both in terms of quality and quantity.
God expects high quality and high quantity.
In Conclusion...
So my conclusion (in the context of this post) is that we should focus more on getting than giving. I know this may sound controversial to some, but if we’re always looking at the quality and quantity of fruit we’re reaping in all areas of our lives, we’ll have a better idea of what we are truly sowing.
So whether it is in your lifestyle, finances, health, or relationships, keep sowing generously, but make sure you’re also reaping a generous harvest of good fruit – thirty, sixty, or a hundred times what was sown!