Sowing

 Sowing peanuts at Sde Nehemia

This past Sunday I heard three different messages, multiple scriptural references, each having a connecting thread having to do with people who sow the word of God. I really can’t separate the thoughts as to which came from which mouth, but fully understand the message comes from God’s word, the scriptures written for our use.

Early Sunday I heard a statement from Dr. Charles Stanley:

“You reap what you sow, more than you sow, later than you sow.”

I would add an admonition – please be careful what you sow, for scripture certainly matches Dr. Stanley’s words:

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. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith. (Galatians 6:7-10 KJV)

It takes a mature Christian to be understand what is to be sown – God’s message to mankind of love and promises to be with Him eternally. It takes reading scriptures and prayer to God to understand the relationship we have with Him as His children. Not simply His creation, but children of adoption:

And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. (Romans 8:23-25 KJV)

How do we mature? That was our Sunday School lesson from 1 Corinthians 3:1-9. You’ll have to open your Bible or click the link to read those verses, but they speak of milk and meat. New Christians receive “milk,” verses that have value with little conflicts, before “meat,” verses that appear to have conflict until we are able to digest their truth.

As example – many verses are well known by many besides Christians. The best known would be John 3:16. No conflict there, and it has been abused by some to indicate everyone is saved. But it’s not the whole story, and when it was written, there were no verse numbers. Now there are, and John 3:18 is just as valid for Christians – but carries the truth that some will not believe and will not have the same eternal life that Christians are promised.

God’s word continued in the worship service Sunday –  to become a Christian as well as remain in God’s will:

Set – we feel we know where we are, where we are going; but . .

Upset – something upsets our lives and we feel nothing is right; then. .

Reset – we focus on what we know is right – God, and reset our goal to do His will.

Which takes us back to the Bible where, as new Christians, we learned to take in His word, pray to Him about what we’ve learned, then listen for the answer to our questions.

Now, what does that have to do with sowing? That is the job of every Christian – to give the message of Christ at every opportunity. Go back to 1 Corinthians 3 to see how that was done (set), the problems it caused (upset), and the reset Paul outlined.

Sowing God’s word does take patience, doesn’t it?