April 13, 2026

Business by the Book

Galatians 6:7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

The law of sowing and reaping is inescapable. Of this law someone once said, “You reap what you sow, you reap later than you sow, and you reap more than you sow.” No individual that seeks lifelong success can risk ignoring this law. That which a person does today will bear fruit tomorrow.

A perfect illustration of this law is a story about Abraham Lincoln’s early days as an attorney. When Abraham Lincoln began practicing law he was struggling for work. On one occasion a man spoke to him about the possibility of engaging him to represent him in a certain case. Mr. Lincoln began studying the law about the case, purchased some books, spent hours in research and encountered other expenses that at the time were sizable to him. The man hired a different attorney and our future President was not reimbursed for his time or his expenses; it was a difficult loss.

Some years later one of the wealthiest men in our nation needed a lawyer on short notice, he heard about Mr. Lincoln, met with him and retained him to represent his interest. This case was exactly like the one that Lincoln had researched earlier. He reviewed his previous work and on very short notice seemed to be as prepared for the case as if he had spent months on the preliminary work. He won the case and was rewarded handsomely.

Mr. Lincoln was able to reap success because he had diligently sowed labor in the past. Someone once said, “You can be a success by only working half days, and it really doesn’t matter if you work the first 12 hours of the day or the second 12 hours of the day.”  To succeed takes work: long work, hard work, and smart work using multifaceted tactics. Sowing the seed of good work will prepare you to reap lifelong success.

Dr. William Howe