Illustrate: With a timid voice and idolizing eyes, the little boy greeted his father as he returned from work, "Daddy, how much do you make an hour?"
Greatly surprised, but giving his boy a glaring look, the father said: " Look, son, not even your mother knows that. Don’t bother me now, I’m Tired.¡¨ "But Daddy, just tell me please!? How much do you make an hour," the boy insisted. The father finally giving up replied: " Twenty dollars per hour."
"Okay, Daddy? Could you loan me ten dollars?" the boy asked.
Showing restlessness and positively disturbed, the father yelled:
"So that was the reason you asked how much I earn, right?? Go to sleep and don’t bother me anymore!"
It was already dark and the father was meditating on what he had said and was feeling guilty. Maybe he thought, his son wanted to buy something.
Finally, trying to ease his mind, the father went to his son’s room. "Are you asleep son?" asled the father.
"No, Daddy. Why?" replied the boy partially asleep. "Here’s the money you asked for earlier," the father said.
"Thanks, Daddy!" rejoiced the son, while putting his hand under his pillow and removing some money.
"Now I have enough! Now I have twenty dollars!" the boy said to his father, who was gazing at his son, confused at what his son just said. "Daddy could you sell me one hour of your time?"
Sermon Study 293 - NEED FOR SEED
Key Scripture: Psa 126:6 He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves (bundles) with him.
Reap WHAT you sow: What we plant will come back to us and we become what we practice.
- Gal 6:7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
- (Prov 11:18b) ¡Khe who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward.
- (Prov 22:8a) He who sows wickedness reaps trouble¡
Reap HOW you sow: The measure or the substance of our planting will be the measure or the substance of our reaping.
ILLUST. I heard a story of a missionary in Africa who received a knock on the door of his hut one afternoon. Answering, the missionary found a native boy holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, "Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here. I’ve brought you my tithe." As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the boy. "If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?" At this, the boy beamed and said, "Oh, they’re still back in the river. I’m going back to catch them now."
- 1 Cor 15:36 How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
- 2 Cor 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Reap LATER than you sow: Reaping & planting do not work simultaneously ¡V we do not reap before it¡¦s time.
ILLUST. Martha Berry was a lady with a vision to help children. She began a school for poor children. She had no books, no building and no money. But she had a dream. She went to Henry Ford to ask for a donation. Mr. Ford reached into his pocket gave Martha Berry a dime. Most people would have been insulted, here he is a multi-millionaire and all he could give was a dime. But Martha took that dime and bought a packet of seeds and planted a garden, raised a crop, sold it and bought more seeds. After three or four harvest she had enough money to purchase and old building for the children. She returned to Mr. Ford and said, ¡§Look what your dime has done.¡¨ The man was so impressed that he donated a million dollars to Berry School.
¡§We will never know the speed of our seed!¡¨
"Don¡¦t judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant."
- Robert Louis Stevenson
- Gen 8:22 As long as the earth endures, seedtime (time to plant) and harvest (time to reap), cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease."
- Gal 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
