The Size of the Sowing

2 Corinthians 9:6 (KJV)

He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

This is a farming law before it is a spiritual one. Nobody scatters a handful of seed on a wide field and expects a full harvest. The size of the sowing sets the size of the reaping.

Sparingly is not the same as having little. A poor farmer can sow bountifully with what he has, and a rich one can sow sparingly out of fear. The word is about proportion, not amount. It is measured against your hand, not against anyone else's.

Fear is what makes us sow sparingly. We hold back because we can see the seed and cannot see the harvest, and holding on feels safer than letting go. Every farmer knows that feeling and buries the seed anyway.

Do not let this verse push you into giving you cannot afford. Let it push you past giving that costs you nothing.