I once preached a sermon in which I said that I went to a seed store and bought seeds to plant orange trees. The package said the seeds were for orange trees, and the salesperson confirmed that these seeds would grow nice orange trees. I told the congregation that I was so proud of the oranges that I grew that I brought one to show them. I then reached into my briefcase and held up a banana! As everyone looked at me shaking their heads (or SMH as they say on social media today) I went on to explain that if you plant seeds for a banana tree, that’s what you will get regardless of what anyone else says and how convincing they may sound.

In other words – You Reap What You Sow.

This same thought is expressed to Israel in 2 Nephi 13:10-11, “Say unto the righteous that it is well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Wo unto the wicked, for they shall perish; for the reward of their hands shall be upon them!”

The actual saying “you reap what you sow” comes from Galatians 6:7-9:

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Sometimes, people confuse the above, thinking that it means if you do good things in life, good things will happen to you. Although this does happen often — God does bless your life when you live for Him — there are many occasions when bad things happen to good people. There are also many people who live unrighteous lives and seem to have everything going well for them.

In order to minimize discouragement, look closely at the verses above (especially the Galatians verses) and you will see that the true reaping of what you have sown occurs in the life to come. If you are suffering setbacks or tragedy in your life, don’t assume it is a punishment for doing something wrong. It could be that there is a reason for what you are going through, or perhaps you may not understand until the next life.

Regardless of our circumstances in life, we need to follow the advice in the verse above and “not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Keep doing what is right in the sight of God (sowing good seeds). Don’t stop because things may not be going as you would like in this life (faint not) and you will eventually reap what you have sown. God sees all and He will reward you in His time.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.