Sowing and Reaping

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

Remember our little experiment with growing munggo (mung beans) seeds a couple of months ago? You can read about my blog post regarding that here: http://wonderfullymadekids.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/gods-little-miracles/

Well, guess what! We took this experiment a little further! Most of us have probably done this same experiment in school, and after a week of recording our observations, we just let those plants die. This time, we decided to transfer the little sprouts to a pot with soil and let it grow.  And grow they did! Allyra did her part in watering the plants and checking on them regularly. Many times she got up from bed in the morning all excited to check on her little “farm.” However, I made the mistake of thinking that “more is good,” and realized that it would have been a much healthier “crop” if I had only planted 2 or 3 seeds. The little plants were crowded and were obviously not meant to grow so near each other, but by the time we transfered them to the pot, the roots were already tangled up with the moistened cotton and so there was no way to separate them without damaging the roots.

Now, you have to understand that I have never seen a munggo plant before, and so when it began to sprout flowers and form bean pods, I was even more fascinated than my daughter.

Finally, after over two months (actually 11 weeks) , the beans were ready for harvesting. Yippee!!!

Due to the plants being crowded, our bean pods were quite small, only within 1 to 2 inches long (I read that they were supposed to be about 4-5 inches long).  Nevertheless, it was safe to say that we at least exceeded the number of seeds we actually planted. Hurrah!

Truly, God is amazing. For the Bible tells us in Genesis 1:11 that God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” I wouldn’t be suprised if this humble munggo plant has been here on earth since Day 4 of Creation.

God has graciously allowed man to observe and take part in planting and harvesting so that we could understand His laws of sowing and reaping. It is really very simple, and one worth meditating on and looking at how it applies right now in our lives. Here are some of the important points we can glean from this simple activity of sowing and reaping:

1. Whatever we sow, we reap. (Galatians 6:7)
2. The more you sow, the bigger the harvest. But quality is better than quantity. (2 Corinthians 9:6)
3. A good tree will yield good fruit. (Matthew 17:17)
4. Patience is the key. (James 5:7)
5. God is a faithful God, and if we sow into His kingdom, our labor will not be in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:58)

So, what have you been sowing these past couple of weeks to start the Year 2013?