How do you sew seeds in a garden?
Any gardener will tell you: generously! The more you sow, the more chance that the seeds will sprout and that you will have a harvest of seedlings. Just this morning I planted some Sweet peas and Namaqualand Daisies with spring in mind. Not just one seed, but many in a pot.
We are all supposed to be Seed Planters, we basically means that we should be people who continually plant seeds in every area of our lives. The cynical don’t believe that what you sow is what you reap. Inevitably they have not really put this principle to the test. They have perhaps sown once upon a time and waited – not surprisingly – nothing happens or not what they hoped for, the harvest was small and measly. Or they sowed one seed… and were disappointed.
But those who make it a habit to continually sow, sow, sow as a manner of lifestyle, personality and habit, will reap and habitually reap multiple harvests and blessings in their life.
What we sow is in direct correlation with what we expect. Who has ever planted one bulb and expected to get a guaranteed flower. Or one seed and expected a crop. Scripture warns us,
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
The level at which we sow will determine the level at which we reap. Therefore, if I sow a little, I will reap a little. If I sow a lot, I will reap a lot. If I sow inconsistently, I will reap inconsistently. If I sow regularly, I will reap regularly. If I sow for a varied crop, I will reap a varied crop. So perhaps dear one, the reason we have not experienced the level of reaping we desire is because the level of our sowing is not right.
You always reap what you sow.
- If you sow apple seeds – you will not get paw paws – you will get apples! So sow for what you want.
- If you sow money you will reap prosperity.
- If you sow too many calories you will reap weight gain.
- Sow good eating habits and exercise and you will reap good health.
- A marriage doesn’t thrive if you do not sow love and unity.
- If you choose to sow forgiveness, you will be forgiven in abundance.
Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
The only thing that is guaranteed, because it is God’s law, is that a harvest is inevitable (Gal 6:7). There WILL be a harvest. As we consider this, we need to ask ourselves, what is our lifestyle of sowing like? Are we planting GOOD seed on a regular basis as a regular habit? Matthew 25: 24-25
“Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
This man’s perspective of his Master was all wrong, as a result he did nothing with the seed he was given. God judged his heart calling Him a “wicked, lazy servant”. We have to ask ourselves if the reason we are not sowing generously is because of our heart’s attitude to God.
- Are you afraid of God – see Him as unapproachable and perhaps a bit scary. Thinking it is best to avoid being involved with Him.
- Do you believe God hasn’t given you any seed: no resources, talent or abilities to serve Him.
- Do you believe that God has forgotten about you? That He has more important things to do than attend to your problems, so there is no point in planting seeds.
- Do you believe that God is answering other people’s prayers and needs and not yours, so why bother sowing seeds?
Psalm 27: 13” I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.”
Sowing seed is a lifestyle choice and sowing generously is the standard we use for harvest.
Look at the result for the servants who did do something with their bags of gold, both managed to double his seed. Matthew 25:23
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
The reward for their sowing, was not just their harvest, but it also empowered them for more. The servants who had sown, were given more to sow with.
If your life is stuck, if you are not flourishing where you are, look at your attitude to sowing. Are you sowing often, lots of seeds, varied seeds, with an expectation of the Lord for a harvest?
Reflection Questions:
- Read the link on becoming a Seed Planter below, write out where in your life, or in another’s life you have seen evidence of the law: what you sow is what you will reap.
- If you agree that the natural rule is set up by God and works, what are you harvesting in your life right now, that is a product of what you sowed in the past?
- Would you say that you are a person that is continually sowing seeds in your life? Make a list in your journal of seeds you have planted and the harvest you are anticipating in your life? Also make a list of seeds that you are no longer going to plant (See the link: Sew for what you want to Reap)
- What is your heart attitude to the seed God has given you?
- Have you ever considered that planting seeds for the future is a way of God empowering you for more? What seeds is God giving you right now, that He may use to empower you for more in the future?
Lord help me to sow, sow, sow, so that I will reap, reap, reap. Help me to look into my heart and identify the reasons I am not sowing generously, and often. Help to sow with a harvest in mind that will position me for more of what You have planned for my life. Help me to realise the truth in my heart, that sowing is a lifestyle choice, not an option.
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