GOD’S TRUST FUND
Reading in Genesis chapter eight and verse twenty we find one of the first things that Noah did after the flood was to build an altar and offer a sacrifice unto the Lord. Now this offering was pleasing to the Father; and by placing a rainbow in the sky He promised the earth would not be destroyed by water again. He then activated the law of sowing and reaping, verse twenty-two says, “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.”
Tonight I want to talk about seedtime and harvest, when to sow seed and where the seed should be sown and why do we sow seed. This message is about sowing in the natural and also in the spiritual and I’ll say more about that later on.
In God’s creation everything has been given the ability to grow and multiply. How? By the sowing of seed. God wanted a family, so He created a man and caused a deep sleep to fall on him and from his side took a rib and fashioned a women. And thru the seed of this union the human race came into existence.
After the fall of man, God wanted a family that he could have a relationship with, so He placed a seed within the womb of a virgin and from that seed Jesus Christ the son of the Living God was born. Who would shed His blood that mankind might be freed from sin and thus established the church, the family of God.
Now the sowing of seed is different than the tithe, first fruits and alms giving. The sowing of seed is an act faith on our part to accomplish a certain harvest for which the seed was sown.
And God has given to every man a measure of faith, and that faith gains life by hearing the word of God. The scripture teaches us, “That faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” And when we sow seed we put faith into action to obtain a determined goal. Jesus said, “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain be thou removed and be cast into the sea, and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
I believe its God desire that we live life to the fullest that His word may abound in us. In the book of John chapter ten and verse ten Jesus said, “The thief come not, but for to steal and to kill and to destroy; I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly.” It is the will of the Father that we be whole [complete] in our spirit, soul, body, relationships and also our finances.
The third epistle of John we have these words, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou would prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospers.” We see the line is drawn, the enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but God offers us salvation through Jesus Christ with health and wealth and life more abundantly.
He has promised that the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And that He would restore the years that the locust hath eaten, saying, “ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God that hath dealt wondrously with you.”
In the book of Galatians chapter six and verse seven, “Be not deceived, God is not mocked for whatsoever man sows that shall he also reap. For he that sows to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that sows to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”
The law of sowing and reaping is established, both in the natural and also the spiritual. And there is a fixed time between the sowing and the reaping. And sometimes we have to wait for the harvest to come, and sometime the harvest may not come in this life.
The thing that determines a good harvest is neither the amount nor the size of the seed, but rather the ground in which it is sown. My father owned forty acres of land in southeast Missouri and there dad and my mother raised seven children.
Dad’s farm was a mixture of sand and clay mixed with black dirt. And this was the type of soil that brought forth a good harvest. My dad would rent acreage from other farmers who were to old to work in the field, and he always look for the soil that would produce the best harvest.
If you are going to sow in to someone’s ministry, make sure you know something about the field you sowing in. If you sow in someone’s life check out the soil and see if it is productive. Jesus talked about sowing seed and the different places the seed fell.
As a kid growing up on the farm I heard the farmers talking about broadcasting seed. They would walk through the field with a bag strapped over their shoulder and would throw the seed, but never able to get an even growth. But now with modern equipment they are able to gauge the amount of seed they sow and also the depth.
So, the soil is not the only thing that makes for a good harvest. The depth and the season are also very important when planting seed. The scriptures teaches us there is a season for everything, a time to laugh and a time to cry, a time to pray and a time to rejoice, a time to lay down and a time to get up, a time to sow and a time to reap.
The harvest that we receive depends on the season, soil and the depth. If we sow good seed in fertile soil we can expect a good harvest, however, if the seeds are sown on rocky soil there will be no harvest.
Jesus taught his disciples the principle of sowing and reaping. If we review the parables we will find He had much to say about seed and where the seed was being sown.
Jesus said, “A man went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and it withered away for lack of moisture. And some fell among thorns and was choked out while other seed fell on good ground, and sprang up and bare fruit a hundredfold.”
Now we understand in this parable the seed is the word of God and Jesus gave the answer to what the parable meant. And this is a good lesson for each one of us when it comes to sowing seed. Always plan where you intend to sow your seed, and sow in faith expecting to receive a good harvest.
In the book of Psalms we have this word, “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goes forth and weeping, bearing precious seed shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
The prophet Hosea when speaking of Israel stated, “Israel is an empty vine, and the hearts of the people are divided and they have spoken words falsely and it seemed that punishment was coming.” It was God’s desire to chastise them that they would gather themselves. He said, “Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground for it is time to seek the Lord. That God would rains righteousness upon you.”
As you involve yourself in sowing whether in the natural or the spiritual remember there is a principle that regulates sowing and the reaping.
