The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. | Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. |
If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. | Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. |
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Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. | Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. |
So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. | So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. |
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! | Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds! |
Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? | Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? |
And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace. | And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness. |
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. | The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences. |
The wicked earn no real gain, but those who sow righteousness get a true reward. | Evil people get rich for the moment, but the reward of the godly will last. |
But now that you have been freed from sin and enslaved to God, the advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life. | But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. |