A Handful Of Peanuts

A Handful of Peanuts

(The Law of the Harvest)

2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Introduction

(As people enter the worship center, let them take a handful of peanuts from large containers.)

Amedeo Obici was born in 1876 in a small village near Venice, Italy. His widowed mother read him letters

from his uncle in America, and Amedeo told everyone he was going to America one day. Everyone knew he

was an exceptionally bright and enterprising child. By the time he was 11 years old, his family had helped

him save enough money for an immigrant's ticket to America, and he set sail by himself.

One story says Amedeo had no money for food, so his mother gave him a bag of peanuts which was all he

had to eat for the 10 day trip across the ocean. In this land of opportunity, Amedeo, at 11 years of age, went

to work as a bellhop and a helper at a fruit stand. He worked hard and saved his money as he had promised

his mother.

Amedeo soon learned that Americans liked the peanuts he shared with them; but few, if any, were growing

them here. So, he found a place to plant the handful of peanuts he had left. While his peanuts were growing,

he saved enough money to buy a horse and wagon. When his peanut crop came in, he drove around calling

himself "The Peanut Specialist" selling roasted peanuts. By 1906 he had developed his own method of

blanching and roasting peanuts and founded Planters Peanuts headquartered in Suffolk, VA. He became

wealthy enough to send money to his family in Italy; and, years later, he gave to the city of Suffolk the

Louise Obici Hospital named after his wife.

Now, Amedeo had only a handful of peanuts; but he had the choice of what he could do with them. He could

have eaten them or sold them, but he wisely chose to plant what he had so that, in time, he would have

enough to eat, give away, and sell to send money to his family. I don't know if Amedeo knew about the Law

of the Harvest in the Bible, but he certainly practiced it! Look at 2 Corinthians 9:6-15.

When you came into our worship center you reached into a bowl and got a handful of peanuts. Some of you

took a large handful; others took just a few.

That's alright, because each of us is different. Keep those peanuts and let them represent the resources God

has given you. Like Amedeo, you have choices to make with what you have: You may eat your peanuts.

They'll taste good for the moment, but then you won't have any left! Or, you may just hide them in your

pocket and keep them. You, also, have the choice to divide them: You could eat some and sell some. We all

need to eat and pay for our basic necessities. You might share some with others. A wise choice would be to

give the first 10% to God knowing he will honor that and bless what you have left.

The Biblical practice of tithing is connected to the Old Testament covenant with Israel. Jesus renewed the

tithe in the New Testament when he spoke with the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. However, the New

Testament goes further under our new covenant of Grace. Under grace, when we're saved we give

ourselves and all we possess to God. When we say Jesus is our Lord, it means that we should consult him

about everything! When we're thinking about giving to his church, we ought to ask him how much he wants

us to give.

Personally, I don't believe God will lead Christians to give less under Grace than he asked the Jews to give

under the Law. I believe the tithe is the minimum every child of God should give. My family's practice is

that we give 10% right off the top of our salaries to this storehouse, and we add some to that for an offering.

Then, we're free to give above that to our work in Jamaica and to a few other charities. We can't give to

every worthy cause, but we do try to give regularly to two or three additional ministries the Spirit has laid

on our hearts.

1. The Principle, v. 6

Now, I want us to look again at the Law of the Harvest to see the Principle, the Practice, and the Produce

we're promised. The Law of the Harvest is a principle stated in 2 Corinthians 9:6. I can summarize that

principle in 8 words: "Plant little, harvest little; plant much, harvest much!" Unless some other

circumstances take their toll, that principle will work. If you invest a little bit, you can only expect a small