The Sowing Series - Part One - Sowing & Reaping
Writer Author Sylvia Huffnagle
Christian Article
:
Bible Teaching
- Fiction No
We read in Genesis 2:15 that God put man in the Garden of Eden to guard and keep it. (cultivate it) Then in I Corinthians 3:9 we read, that we are God's garden under cultivation.
Then in Mark 4 Jesus teaches about sowing and reaping. He said, the sower sows the Word. This sower can be the evangelist, the preacher, or ourselves as we study the Bible. Some of the seed fell along the path and the birds came and ate it. He said this was like someone who hears the word but does not understand it, so Satan snatches it away from him.
Jesus teaches that some of the seed fell on hard and rocky ground and sprang up right away because there was no good soil for sturdy roots to grow in. But when the sun came up, it withered away--no roots, no sustaining force. He likened this to someone who hears the Word and receives it with joy, but when persecution or hard times come from Satan to test the Word they soon fall away or give up the Word. This is the fainting referred to in Hebrews 12:1-13. We can avoid fainting is we practice what James taught in James 1:2-5 which is to count it all joy when our faith is tested because as we insist upon believing God in the face of all odds we will develop patience and endurance (steadfastness) and that this will be the equipment that will make us perfect, entire wanting nothing. But the Christians with no roots will faint. Mark in Mark 4:17 Amp.V puts it this way; they endure for a little while, then when trouble or persecution arises on account of the Word, they immediately are offended, become displeased, indignant, and resentful and they stumble and fall away. And Matthew goes even further with it. Matthew 13:21 Amp.V: when the trouble comes they are repelled and begin to distrust and desert Him whom they ought to trust and obey and they fall away. ( We need to take note of the things listed in the Word that weaken us and the things listed that will strengthen us.)
Jesus then teaches what happens when the seed is sown in good soul but there are weeds and thorns growing there too. And the seed springs up and tries to grow among the thorns and weeds but it is choked and does not produce. He says that thorns are the cares and anxieties of the world, the distractions of the age, and the pleasures and delight and false glamour and deceitfulness of riches, and the craving and passionate desire for other things. He says these things creep in and suffocate the Word, and it becomes fruitless. (Again, we need to pay attention to what chokes the Word of God that must be sown in our lives. In this parable Jesus covers everything that causes a church or person to be non-productive, stagnate, immature, or dead. I think we would do well to take heed and act accordingly.)
Some seed fell on good ground and brought forth fruit, thirty, sixty, and even one hundred times as much as was sown. They are the ones who hear the Word, and receive and accept and welcome it and bear fruit with patience. Because He says, you have to go to bed and get up, go to bed and get up and the seed sprouts and grows and increases, you know not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, and finally the full corn on the ear. But when the grain is ripe, put in the sickle.
These are things you need to know in order to be patient while waiting for harvest time. God said in Galatians 6:9, we shall reap in due season, if we faint not. In Matthew 13:23, talking about the seed in good soil that yields good fruit, it says the person grasped and understood the Word and therefore yielded. And Jesus went on to say, in Mark 4:24 Amp.V, be careful what you are hearing. The measure of thought and study you give to the truth you hear will be the measure of virtue and knowledge that comes back to you, and more besides will be given to you who hear. This brings me to the next point, take heed what you sow.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap. If he sows to his fleshly appetites or carnal nature, sensuality, he will reap decay and ruin and destruction; but if he sows to the spirit, he will from the Spirit reap life eternal. In Proverbs 4:20-23 we read; My son, attend to my Words and submit to my sayings, let them not depart from your sight; keep them in the center of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, healing and health to all their flesh. Keep your heart with all vigilance for out of it flows the springs of life. And in Romans 13:14 we are told to clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for indulging the flesh--put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature, to gratify its desires (lusts - high pressures).
This all has to do with sowing and reaping. If you sow soap operas, guess what you are going to reap. If you sow babbling Talk shows, you will become a babbler. Whatever you are feeding into your computer (brain) will come out. If you do not feed it in, it cannot come out. Garbage in, garbage out. If you have chosen to be Christ-like, you must feed much on the Word of God. If you want to overcome, you must feed much on the Word of God. If you want to be protected from lies and the liar, you must feed on the Word of God. If you want to know how to handle trouble when it comes, you must feed on the Word of God. If you want faith in God's promises, you must feed on the Word of God. If you want to know the truth, you must feed on the Word of God. If you want strength to avoid temptation, you must feed on the Word of God. If you want to have the right attitudes toward all situations so that you can avoid resentment, frustration, anger, pouting and anxiety, you must feed on the Word of God.
Oh, children of God, cultivate your gardens.
© Sylvia Huffnagle
Editor's Comment:
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huffnagl@verizon.net
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