Sowing And Reaping

“There was once a farmer who grew award-winning corn. Each year he entered his corn in the state fair where it won first prize. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned the farmer’s strategy for growing winning corn. What was it? Simply this: the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbours. “How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbours when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why” said the farmer, “don’t you know? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbours grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbours grow good corn.””

We reap what we sow. This natural law was part of the physical world that God created. Plants and animals were designed to reproduce “according to their kind” (Genesis 1:11-12, 24-25). But we also learn that the same thing is true in the spiritual realm. If we choose to act in evil ways, we can expect a harvest of trouble. “One who sow injustice will reap disaster…” (Proverbs 22:8). Paul gave this warning to the churches of Galatia: “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh will reap destruction…” (Galatians 6:7-8a). But if we choose to act in good and generous ways, we can expect a different kind of harvest. “The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward” (Proverbs 11:18). “Sow with a view to righteousness, reap in accordance with kindness….” (Hosea 10:12).

We need to think carefully about the spiritual seeds we are sowing. Before speaking and acting, consider what kind of crop can be expected from such words and deeds. Will it bring a good harvest or an evil one?

God loves you!

Mike

*Source: reported in James Bender, How to Talk Well (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1994)

He Is Risen

“Well over three hundred verses are concerned with the subject of Jesus' resurrection in the New Testament. We are told that this event is a sign for unbelievers (Matthew 12:38-40; cf. John 20:24-29) as well as the answer for the believer's doubt (Luke 24:38-43). It serves as the guarantee that Jesus' teachings are true (Acts 2:22-24; 1 Corrinthians 15:12-20) and is the center of the gospel itself (Romans 4:24-25, 10:9; 1 Corrinthians 15:1-4). Further, the resurrection is the impetus for evangelism (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 10:39-43), the key indication of the believer's daily power to live the Christian life (Rom. 6:4-14, 8:9-11; Phil. 3:10) and the reason for the total commitment of our lives (Rom. 7:4; 1 Cor. 15:57-58). The resurrection even addresses the fear of death (John 11:25; 1 Cor. 15:54-58; cf. Hebrews 2:14-15) and is related to the second coming of Jesus (Acts 1:11; Revelation 1:7). Lastly, this event is a model of the Christian's resurrection from the dead (Acts 4:2; 1 Cor. 6:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18) and provides a foretaste of heaven for the believer (Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Peter 1:3-5).”*

The importance of the resurrection of Christ cannot be overstated. This is the point the apostle Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 15. If Christ wasn’t raised from the dead, (1) our preaching is useless, (2) our faith is useless, (3) the apostles were false witnesses, (4) we are still in our sins (5) faithful believers who have died have perished and, (6) we are to be pitied. Sounds pretty important to me.

“The entire Bible pivots on one weekend in Jerusalem about two thousand years ago. Attempts to make sense of the Bible that do not give prolonged thought to integrating the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are doomed to failure, at best exercises in irrelevance” (D.A. Carson).

God loves you!

Mike

*Gary R. Habermas & J.P. Moreland, Immortality - The Other Side of Death, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1992, p. 245.

Significance

“Xvxn though this typxwritxr is an old modxl, it works vxry wxll, xxcxpt for only onx kxy. You'd think that with all the othxr kxys working, onx kxy would hardly bx noticxd. But just onx kxy out of which sxxms to ruin thx wholx xffort. Havx you xvxr said to yoursxlf, “I'm only onx pxrson. No onx will noticx if I don't do my bxst.” But it doxs makx a diffxrxncx, bxcausx to bx xffxctive, a family, an organization or a businxss nxxds complxtx participation by xvxryone to the bxst of his or hxr ability. So if You'rx having onx of thosx days whxn you think you just arxn't vxry important and you'rx txmptxd to slack off, rxmxmbxr this old typxwritxr. You arx a kxy pxrson, and whxn you don't do your bxst, nothing xlsx around you works out thx way it's supposxd to.”*

Isn’t it amazing how quickly the human brain can fill in the correct letter when you begin to read the text above? We truly are “..fearfully and wonderfully made…” (Psalm 139:14). But that’s not the purpose of this article. The paragraph above makes the point that every single part of a whole is important. This is also true in the work of God. There are no insignificant parts. Esther may have felt small and insignificant but she wasn't (Esther 4:10-14). Gideon felt unqualified for the task God asked of him but God used him anyway (Judges 6:14-16). The woman Jesus met at a well had checkered past but became an effective missionary (John 4:39-42). A lad with a small lunchbox helped feed a multitude (John 6:9-13). Jael helped turn the tide of a war with a tent peg and a hammer (Judges 4:17-24)

Who’s to say that God can’t use you or me? We may feel insignificant and useless for the purposes of God. But He has shown countless times that usefulness isn’t determined by what we bring to the table. It’s determined by our willingness to be used by Him.

God loves you!

Mike

*from “Communicating at Work” by Ronald Adler