The Value of a Seed
2 Cor. 9:6
When we 1st moved here last year, I looked as I drove in the yard and saw in my back yard more corn than I had ever seen before. Then I looked to the other side and saw beans/something. I didn’t realize at that time that I had moved to one of the biggest areas of farming I had ever been in. “Rice capital of the world”, even so much they just put it on the new quarter. Practically everyone around involved in some way with farming, harvesting a crop to sale to the American people for consumption.
When I thought about this, I considered one thing, it all started with one seed. And if anyone should understand the value of a seed, the people of this area should. Without a seed, Riceland employees would have no job, Producers…, farmers… For without a seed, there could be no crop, and with no crop comes no revenue. There is great value in a seed!
**Even more than just earthly value, there is greater value in a spiritual seed. We don’t think much about spirituality being compared to little seeds we plant in the fields. But it all works the same, you take your little part and plant it in fertile soil (ministry of the great commission) and it produces a crop harvest (blessings from heaven).
In 2 Cor., Paul is writing his 2nd Biblically recorded letter to the Corinthian church. This church was very dear to his heart, for it is one that he helped establish in Acts 18 with Aquila and Priscilla. Corinth was a center of pleasure, a great commercial city/city of great beauty w/many temples. It had gained a reputation as a center of lascivious worship, worshipping the goddess of love. There were 10,000 prostitutes attached to the temple of Aphrodite. It was a sex-saturated society, a den of iniquity. **Imagine the apostle walking into this town, appearing to be just another tentmaker, but eager and ready to preach the gospel. As he met up w/ Aquila & Priscilla, Paul began to preach up & down the streets, market places, & synagogues. God had put him in this place to lay down a foundation for one of the strongest churches in the area.
Problems began to arise not long after establishment. Paul preached there for 18 months, he left for Ephesus, where he wrote I Cor. It’s purpose was to correct some of the divisions that had arised, as well send rebuke for some immoralities that were coming into the church. Not long after they received this letter (and began to get back in line), the Judaizers from the outside began to creep back in, proclaiming Paul’s gospel message to be misleading, that they still had to keep all the old rituals of the law. It became so bad they eventually took over the Corinthian church. Paul came down to repromand them, but they wouldn’t even allow him to speak in the church. So he left, wrote a 2nd letter rebuking them for their attitudes. This letter worked, and the majority of folks repented and began to live Christian lives again. So from Phillippi, Paul wrote 2nd Corinthians, informing them of God’s will for the ministry both of the leaders, and of the congregation.
In chptr. 9, he begins to talk to them about his plan to raise benevolence funding for the Christians in Jerusalem who were suffering do to a famine in that land. He explains to them how he has been waiting a year to receive this gift, and the time was coming soon that they would receive this gift. He sends a couple brothers to Corinth to prepare them for this, so the gift giving time wouldn’t catch them by surprise, and it could be considered more of a generous gift than one given grudgingly.
In the midst of this conversation, he begins to compare this blessing to seed time/harvest. He says “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, generously…” In other words, you were going to reap a harvest comparable to the seed you planted! And if you don’t plant a seed, you don’t get a harvest.
This wasn’t said in a guilt-giving manor, he was just explaining the principle that has been set forth all throughout the Bible, if you want to see a harvest, you must plant seeds!
Our culture has been so indoctrinated with the idea of “survival of the fittest”, hoard up my whole life because of the uncertainties of tomorrow, that we don’t understand the principle of seed time/harvest. Sadly folks on Wall Street believe in this more than even some spirit-filled believers, for they spend fortunes into something that could easily fall apart at the seems, only expecting a great return. Some don’t even work a daily job, just play the market and have more $ than we’ll ever dream of seeing. Ads for gold, real estate, etc. Investing to receive. But it’s all part of the Bible: plant a seed and God will nurture it, grow it, and prosper it, and if you want to see his blessings, you must plant a seed!
THERE ARE 3 DIFFERENT SEEDS GOD REQUIRES THAT WE SOW
(1)seeds of the spirit, (2)seeds of our being, (3)seeds of our finances
all 3 are scriptural, and all 3 are required in order for us to see the supernatural blessings of God
(1) financial seeds (already heard enough sermons @ giving, etc.)
Irregardless of what our opinion concerning sermons/giving, it was a major topic of discussion for Paul. (1)this text, (2)Phil. 4:18 “But I have all & abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditis the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God”. (3) I Cor. 16:2 “Upon the 1st day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come”. Even Jesus had a major issue about this: “render unto Caesar/render unto God…”
WHY IS THIS SUCH A BIG ISSUE? God realizes it takes $ to run things in this world, and he also sees his kingdom as the greatest power in the universe, so he don’t want his operation to go in lack, for it is all about ministry!! I realize God owns the cattle on a 1,000 hills, but he uses humans to do his work in this just as much as he does in anything else.
**God understands one thing, for most folks it is a major battle for them to let go of this 1 thing they see as their life-line. So he offer us a reward for this obedience: an open heaven! (Malachi: why rob me in tithes/offerings, prove me, rebuke devourer, etc.) Paul told Phillipians because of their giving God would supply all their need… An open heaven means supernatural provision, abundant blessings, rivers in the desert, etc.
Capps, Hagin, Copeland, etc. didn’t tell me that , THE BOOK DID!
***some folks will never see the light of day/break in financial struggles if you don’t plant a seed in the kingdom. You can’t just tithe off of wife’s check/not yours and expect to get full blessings of God. You will live under a curse, for your throwing seed to the wind. But when you plant this in good soil, the kingdom, look at what God will do! (1)more business, pay raise, promotion, lower bills, stretch the check, etc.
(2) seed of your being
Understand the text of Rom. 12 “present your bodies a living sacrifice”. Throughout Bible God used many things besides humans to do his work: (1) donkey to rebuke a stubborn man, (2)rooster to bring conviction to a sinner, (3) and can use rocks to praise him. But this is obviously not the method of choice. God created us for worship, & according to Rom. 12 we are to become sacrifices, which is the ultimate form of worship.
There is time/effort to be invested in the kingdom that we often refuse to have a part of. Convenience is the message of the hour, and whatever takes away from relaxation/couch time, hunting/fishing time, or party time is just not acceptable. But sometimes as a child of God we must say “I’m sorry, it’s Sun. & I’m going to church”. “It’s Wed. & I’m going to worship”. “I can’t stay and call the hogs, I got ministry work to do”. “I may not make my beauty appointment, for I’ve got sick folks to go pray for, etc.” “I may not make it to the Christmas party, for I’ve got homeless folks to go feed”. Etc. Jesus: “inasmuch as you’ve done it unto the least of these, you’ve done it to me also”.
Our lives must be caught up in the work of the kingdom right now! We are absolutely more worried about personal satisfaction/pleasure than souls, and no wonder no one is getting saved! Someone says “we need to schedule church, revivals, vision, etc. around basketball, hunting season, etc.” Your crazy! You need to schedule your fun time around the kingdom’s work! Jesus: “I must work while it’s day, for the night cometh when no man can work”.
**The kingdom needs workers. There is a harvest of souls ready to be brought in, but a handful of people is all there is to go get them.**
(3)Seeds of the Spirit
Gal. 6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting”.
One thing is certain, when the body is dead/gone, the spirit will go on, irregardless Heaven/Hell. So it is absolutely the most precious commodity we have. But, for so many the spirit is there, but there is nothing growing inside it. Even for many, the fallow ground of their heart has been broken up, waiting on a seed, but none is there to be planted. But if you don’t do something soon, the ground will go to waste. We must sow to the spirit!
What kind of seed? (1)seed of word of God, bringing forth faith, confidence, power. (2)prayer, interceding to the throne before the great God, building relationship w/ the heavenly father (3)fasting, putting away everything of utmost value just to draw closer to His side.
There is great things to transpire within the life of one sowing to the spirit!
I Cor. 15 “sown in dishonour, raised in glory, sown in weakness raised in power, sown in natural, raised immortal, etc.” What a great joy to come for those sowing to the spirit!
CONCLUSION:
Jesus said to consider the mustard seed. It’s the smallest of all seeds, but when planted, it grows into the largest tree of all, insomuch birds make nests in them. That is the way we can be. Our seed may not seem very big. We may not make much money, so our 10% may not be a lot, our offerings above/beyond may not be but a few pennies. We may be physically weak/frail, can’t get around much. We may not know how to pray eloquently and may not be Bible scholars, but we can offer good seed to be planted into good soil. Some on the other hand can in fact do more, or even just minimal required, yet circumstances have told you it’s impossible. But, it’s not an option. If you want an open heaven, your money, life, and spirit must all be under the subjection of the living God.
