Early Christians who were living in the peace and prosperity of Corinth struggled with the same misplaced priorities. In the verse above, the Apostle Paul had to exhort them to a life of greater thanks-living and thanks-giving. This is the Law of Sowing and Reaping, and it is equally true in the spiritual realm as in the physical realm. You always reap in direct proportion to your sowing. It is absolutely impossible to do otherwise. Paul exhorted these Christians to sow generously so that they could reap generously, because in their thanksgiving they had only been sowing sparingly. He wanted them to be able to one day reap generously in the spiritual harvest that God’s Spirit made possible. Paul shared this same principle with another group of Christians in Galatia, but his emphasis was on the type of seed that was being sown. “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life” (Galatians 6:7–8). As you reflect this Thanksgiving, what does your sowing record look like? Did you mostly sow in the flesh or in the Spirit? Was it sparing or was it generous? I lovingly encourage you to heed another exhortation from Paul: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers” (Galatians 6:9–10).
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