God's Law on Sowing and Reaping
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March 28, 2010 |
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 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap" (Galatians 6:7).
A farmer hoping for a great harvest must first cultivate the land, sow seeds, and take care of the land and the crops. Some crops will be harvested in "a good measure – pressed down, shaken together, and running over" – while others will be yielded a hundredfold, sixty, or thirty. Still, the harvests of some farmers will not be as great despite their hard work. This demonstrates flaws in their methods of farming.
Even in spiritual terms, there are many believers who are seemingly diligent with their lives in Christ but you do not hear much about their blessings. Some of them find themselves bound in entanglements while others, even after decades of their lives in Christ, have yet to receive noticeable blessings or God's answers to their prayers. God's promise, however, never fails; whatever one has sown in God is bound to bear fruit. What must we do to receive blessings and reap abundant fruit according to what we have sown?
1. One must first cultivate his heart.
Regardless of the quality of the seeds sown, a farmer cannot be yielded a great harvest if the quality of the soil is poor. For instance, it is difficult for the seeds sown on hardened or asphalt roads or streets to bud. A bird may eat up the seeds or the seeds can easily be dried up by the sunlight. If possible, seeds ought to be sown in rich soil for the farmer to be able to be yielded a harvest yielded a hundredfold, sixty, or thirty.
By the same token, when you sow seeds of blessings, you must do so in the spiritually rich soil. The "soil" signifies one's heart. Even if an exorbitant amount of seeds are sown and cultivated, unless they are done so in the spiritually rich soil, the harvest will not be as plentiful as the magnitude of one's toil. Therefore, an individual's heart must first be cultivated by casting off sin and evil and accomplishing a sanctified and pure heart.
2. One must obey God's Word as he would sow seeds.
As an individual cultivates his heart, he must sow seeds concurrently as well. He is not to sow seeds only after his heart has been cultivated into rich soil; cultivating of his heart and sowing of seeds must take place simultaneously. What, then, does it mean to "sow seeds"? It is to obey the commandments as prescribed by the Bible, such as "Do this" or "Keep that." Evangelizing; visiting the homes of other church members; loving one another; seeking others' benefits; serving others and sacrificing oneself; giving the whole tithes; being faithful; keeping the Sabbath holy; and many more are acts of "sowing seeds."
Sowing of seeds is not a one-time event but an ongoing process. Just as a farmer plants a variety of crops such as rice, wheat, or beans according to the season, we must also keep cultivating our hearts, sowing seeds, and harvesting in obedience to God's Word until we enter Heaven.
3. A patience-laden process of cultivation is necessary.
1) Worship
When a believer comes together with his brothers and sisters in Christ to worship, He can hear God's Word and learn His will and, in fellowship with other believers, he will be blessed and his faith will grow (Hebrews 10:25). If one is interested in farming he must first learn to farm from an experienced farmer. By the same token, one must first worship in spirit and truth and continue to learn God's heart and will in order to understand well His law on sowing and reaping.
2) Praise and Prayer
A believer must be filled with the Holy Spirit and strengthened through praise and prayer. If a farmer lacks strength and is frail, he cannot engage himself in farming. Likewise, in one's spiritual life he must first obtain the strength to fight off the enemy devil and Satan through fervent prayer in order to transform his heart into spiritually rich soil and sow in it diligently.
3) Rejoice Always and Give Thanks in Everything
Such is the testimony of one's faith. Diligently cultivating one's heart demonstrates his faith in and to enter New Jerusalem, the best of all heavenly dwelling places. Furthermore, as he believes that whatever he sows will be glory and rewards in heaven and be fruit of blessings in this world, he can toil in gladness and thankfulness. A farmer filled with a hope for an abundant harvest goes about doing his job in joy; he will be, therefore, able to think lightly of even the most difficult of the tasks. If we rejoice and give thanks in everything, the enemy devil and Satan will not be able to penetrate our hearts but be repelled. Moreover, we will not grow weary or look to the world but press on towards Heaven.
When a believer's heart is thus cultivated and seeds are sown and grown, the seeds will bud, blossom, and bear fruit in time. Only when a believer bears such spiritual fruit as the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit; the fruit of the Beatitudes; the fruit of spiritual love as prescribed in 1 Corinthians 13; and the fruit of the Light, can he disclose the evidence of His love for God. Jesus tells us in 14:21, "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." God will disclose the evidence of His love for a believer when the believer demonstrates the evidence of his love for God by obeying His commandments.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, when you obey and live according to God's commandments in your love for Him, whatever you ask you can receive from Him. Every aspect of your life will prosper and you be in good health just as your soul prospers, and you will even receive the power of the Holy Spirit by which you can bring countless souls back to God. Like a diligent farmer, may each of you diligently cultivate the soil of your heart and reap an abundant harvest, in the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ I pray!
For additional information or to read the message's text in its entirety, please visit Manmin Central Church on the web at (www. manmin. org), select the "English" menu, and click on "Words of Life."
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