Promise for Today - Give It Away

Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

John 12:24 (NIV)

What does a farmer do when he has a barren field that’s producing no income? He doesn’t complain about it. He doesn’t even have to pray about it! He just goes out and starts planting seed, because nothing is going to happen until he plants the seed. He can pray all he wants, but prayer doesn’t replace planting.

Maybe you think you’re waiting on God. You think you’re waiting on God for that job. You think you’re waiting on God for a spouse. You think you’re waiting on God for the windfall. But God might be saying to you, “You think you’re waiting on me? I’m waiting on you! I’m waiting for you to plant a seed.”

Everything in life starts as a seed: a relationship, a marriage, a business, a church. And nothing happens until the seed is planted. Why does God require you to plant a seed? Because planting is an act of faith. You take what you’ve got, and you give it away. That takes faith, and it brings glory to God.

Jesus described this principle of sowing and reaping when he explained why he came to earth to die on the cross. In John 12:24, Jesus said, “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (NIV). Jesus was saying, “People will be saved and go to heaven because of my death and resurrection. I’m going to plant a seed, and the seed is going to be my life.”

Here’s the principle of sowing and reaping: Whenever you have a need, plant a seed. Whatever you need—more time, more energy, more money, more support, more relationships, more wisdom—just plant a seed. If you need more time, give more time to your kids. If you need more money, give it away to someone who needs it. If you need more wisdom, share what wisdom you have with others. Give yourself away!

It may not make sense to you to give away something that you need more of, but that is exactly the kind of attitude that God wants to bless and that will produce fruit in your life.

Talk It Over

What need have you been waiting on God to provide?

What do you think God might be waiting for you to do about that need? What seed can you plant today?

What kind of results do you see in yourself and others when you plant a seed and give of yourself? How is God building your character through that?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father, 

           We come before You, asking for Your grace to transform us into more generous people. Help us to see that everything we have—time, talents, resources, and love—comes from You and belongs to You. Remove every form of selfishness, fear, or reluctance that holds us back from giving freely .
         Lord, we pray for a cheerful giving heart, one that flows from joy and gratitude rather than obligation. Teach us to give without reservation, whether it’s our time, our words, our encouragement, or our material blessings. Let our generosity reflect Your boundless love and compassion, and may our actions be a beacon of hope and kindness to those around us.
         Help us to overcome the fear of lack and to trust that You are our Provider. Give us wisdom in how, when, and where to give, so that our generosity blesses others and glorifies Your name.
         We ask You to break down the walls of scarcity in our spirit and replace them with a desire to bless. May our lives overflow with generosity, and may we be a vessel of Your grace, pouring out love and compassion to all we meet. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Watering for a Harvest

Those who sow in tears shall reap in joy. He who continually goes forth weeping, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.
Psalm 126:5-6 NKJV

I've read this Scripture countless times. I've sung the songs related to it ♪♫ Bringing in the sheaves! ♫ Bringing in the sheaves!♪♫ I've held on to the promise of reaping in joy so many times... But for some reason, I thought it was the tears that were being sown. I never made the connection that the tears were watering the seed I was sowing while I was weeping.

Even so, I guarantee you that without a doubt, I have come rejoicing again and again, bringing in the sheaves! It may have been sheaves of a different kind in place of wheat, but God has never let me return empty-handed. He has always provided the harvest.

Prayer:

Father,
          Thank You for tears to wash my eyes so that I could see Your goodness and the plan You have for me. Thank You for getting the most use out of everything that touches our lives, including the tears that water the seed. Provide the harvest, Father, we pray in Jesus' Name. Amen

Reminder to Stick with It

But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.

Luke 8:15 The Message

Have you ever thought about a seed? I mean, since grade school when you put the lima bean in the plastic cup with the paper towel and kept it moist. However, thinking back on that, do you remember the wonder and amazement you felt watching it germinate and grow? And even though as a child, it seemed like it took forever, it really was only a few days.

Think about that for just a moment. In that one hard, dry bean - useless in that state, until water is added either to cook it or grow it - there is enough life to eventually produce a bumper crop if you were to stick with it. In one apple, there is an orchard. In a kernel of corn is the potential for acres and acres of golden tassels blowing in the breeze.

In the parable of the sower, the seed is sown everywhere. Everyone has the opportunity to reap a harvest from the seed given to them. In The Message Bible, Luke 8:11-14, Jesus explains, The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved. The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone. And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.  

And then today's text, But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.

Okay, let's think about one more thing. Our lives without Christ. Most of us were one hard, dry life - and useless - until the Living Water (Jesus) was added to it. Then slowly, but surely, we began to grow. He plants us where He wants us, where we're gonna get the most growth, the right temperature, the right light, the best environment. Sometimes, there's cultivating,  pruning, and fertilizer - none of which is fun, but all are necessary for growth. If we seize the Word and hold on - No Matter What - and stick with it, there will be a harvest.

Let's stick with it.

Prayer:

Father, 
            We don't always understand the process of growing, but we know that You are in control. You are the Creator of life and the Author and Finisher of our faith. You are the Alpha and the Omega, Beginning and the End. Your Word assures us that You've got it covered and we choose to trust You. Help us to stick with it. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Seed Away

“Listen! A farmer went out to plant some seed. As he scattered it across his field, some of the seed fell on a footpath, and the birds came and ate it. Other seed fell on shallow soil with underlying rock. The seed sprouted quickly because the soil was shallow. But the plant soon wilted under the hot sun, and since it didn’t have deep roots, it died. Other seed fell among thorns that grew up and choked out the tender plants so they produced no grain. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil, and they sprouted, grew, and produced a crop that was thirty, sixty, and even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

Mark 4:3-8 NLT

So the farmer goes out to plant seed. Jesus makes no distinction about the kinds of seed. It's all the same seed. It's all good seed. The only difference is where it is sown. It is absolutely guaranteed to produce fruit in the right soil... but it has to be planted.

Read on from our text for today...
Mark 4:13-20 Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables? The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”

You can have enough seed to plant the entire Earth, but if you don't actually plant the seed, what good does it do? Is it still seed? Yes! Does it have within it all that is necessary to produce fruit? Yes! Will it all bring forth fruit? Not unless it’s put into fertile ground.

It’s not just about the seed. Are our hearts prepared to receive it?

Prayer:

Father,
            Help us to prepare our hearts to be fertile soil that will hear and receive Your Word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as has been planted. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen

Changing the Harvest

Make no mistake about it, God will never be mocked! For what you plant will always be the very thing you harvest. The harvest you reap reveals the seed that was planted. If you plant the corrupt seeds of self-life into this natural realm, you can expect to experience a harvest of corruption. If you plant the good seeds of Spirit-life you will reap the beautiful fruits that grow from the everlasting life of the Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8 The Passion Translation

I didn't write this devotion, Pastor Alan Neel did (of Life Community Church, La Porte, TX). I added the prayer at the end.

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If we don’t like what we are reaping, we should change what we are planting. It’s a good quote, but entirely impossible without God’s assistance.

Our sinful nature is plagued with addiction! It doesn’t have to be drugs, alcohol, or some sexual addiction, it can be ANYTHING that satisfies our flesh. Only by continually asking God for help, and yielding to the power of the Holy Spirit can we overcome our flesh. It’s a battle where victories are won one day at a time! MAKE THAT DAY TODAY! 

CHANGE THE SEED AND CHANGE THE HARVEST!

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to rip up the bad seed that has been sown in our lives - to weed out the tares in our fields of life. We want to sow pure seeds of Your love so that hate is choked out. We want to plant seeds of Your peace in the midst of the storms of this life. Bring Your peace, Father, In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Doing it Right

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.
Galatians 6:7-8 NLT

The story goes that there was once a Christian farmer who vowed to do everything right so he would get a bumper crop. He tilled the ground and prepared the soil. The rows were laid out perfectly straight. He provided water for irrigation to combat the heat and drought conditions. He went to church. He prayed. He fasted. He BELIEVED for that bumper crop. And even though he did all those right things, it didn't happen. Why? Because he never planted the seed...

What is it that we're waiting for God to produce? We're praying. We're fasting. We're believing... Have we sown the seed? Let's ask God what we should be planting...  

Prayer:

Father,

           Open our eyes of understanding to give what we need in order to reap the harvest that YOU desire in our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Going to Seed

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

Galatians 6:7 NLT

As I stood in my backyard, I realize it's time to get the seed planted. Whatever made it through last year's winter, did not make it through this year's. I have lots of seeds and a good variety of them. I have the potential for buckets of flowers and vegetables. I have lots of starter containers. What I need is good soil and lots of light to get them started. Without good soil and light, it won't matter how much seed I have - there will not be a harvest to share.

2nd Corinthians 9:10-11a in the NIV, reads, Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion... 

God supplies our seed AND gives the increase to enlarge the harvest of our righteousness so that we can be generous... Have we prepared the soil of our hearts? Have we availed ourselves of the light of His Word? Have we watered from the River of Life? Are we generous with what God has given us?

It's time to seed. Are we ready?

Prayer:

Father,

        Help us to dig up the fallowed ground of our lives to prepare for the righteousness You want to cultivate and harvest in us so that we can be generous to others. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorite - Buried Alive

Some skeptic is sure to ask, “Show me how resurrection works. Give me a diagram; draw me a picture. What does this ‘resurrection body’ look like?” If you look at this question closely, you realize how absurd it is. There are no diagrams for this kind of thing. We do have a parallel experience in gardening. You plant a “dead” seed; soon there is a flourishing plant. There is no visual likeness between seed and plant. You could never guess what a tomato would look like by looking at a tomato seed. What we plant in the soil and what grows out of it don’t look anything alike. The dead body that we bury in the ground and the resurrection body that comes from it will be dramatically different.
1st Corinthians 15:35-42 The Message

Has life ever made you feel like you'd been knocked down and buried in fertilizer... that keeps getting piled on?!? That's how I've been feeling the last few days but today, God reminded me of this Scripture.

What is planted - buried beneath mounds and pounds of fertilizer - and what grows out of it don't look anything alike! Just like you can't tell what a tomato will look like from the seed you plant, there's no telling what we'll look like, either - but the Bible says we shall be like Him!!

Can we give God the praise for that and thank Him even in the fertilizer?!?

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for loving us more than enough to give us what we need rather than what we want. Help us to understand and continue to grow in the process. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Friends' Favorite - Going to Seed

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

Galatians 6:7 NLT

As I stood in my backyard, I realized it's time to get the seed planted. Whatever made it through last year's winter, did not make it through this year's. I have lots of seed and a good variety of them. I have the potential for buckets of flowers and vegetables. I have lots of starter containers. What I need is good soil and lots of light to get them started. Without good soil and light, it won't matter how much seed I have - there will not be a harvest to share.

2nd Corinthians 9:10-11a in the NIV, reads, Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion... 

God supplies our seed AND gives the increase to enlarge the harvest of our righteousness so that we can be generous... Have we prepared the soil of our hearts? Have we availed ourselves of the light of His Word? Have we watered from the River of Life? Are we generous with what God has given us?

It's time to seed. Are we ready?

Prayer:

Father,

        Help us to dig up the fallowed ground of our lives to prepare for the righteousness You want to cultivate and harvest in us so that we can be generous to others. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

It's the Law

Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1st Corinthians 3:8 NKJV

Sometimes, my designated time with the Lord is a battle of just trying to stay focused. The enemy of my soul likes to try to discourage me in that.

"You call yourself a Christian, you can't even stay focused."
"How many times are you going to read that before you get it? Why bother?"
"If you really loved God, you wouldn't have these issues."

I have learned to stop and redirect my thoughts.

"Father, I am Your child. I am here to pay attention to YOUR Word. Help me."
"Father, As many times as it takes."
"Father, I know You really love me. Teach me how to really love You. I want to love You more."

We know that what we harvest depends on what seeds were planted. We know about bad seed, no seed, etc. What I feel I re-learned this morning is that the crops may be different - bumper, buffer, cover - but there will ALWAYS be a harvest time. Even if I sit in my quiet time and only plant ONE good seed. That seed will produce. And if I do the same thing the next day, that is another good seed that will produce. God shall supply all our needs. You get the picture.

In 2nd Corinthians 9:10-11, we read, Now he [God] who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Galatians 6:9 NKJV, And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. There are no instant harvests, but it's the law of sowing and reaping. Rest assured, the harvest WILL come.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for all the answers that You provide in it. Thank You for loving us and multiplying Yourself to us in so many ways! We know Your seeds are always good and will always produce. We pray for a bumper crop, Father, in Jesus' Name. Amen

Come Harvest Time

Then I saw a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came from the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, “Swing the sickle, for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe.” So the one sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was harvested.
Revelation 14:14-16

There are so many references in Scripture to planting and growing, sowing and reaping. I think I've mentioned before one of Jim Mackey's best quotes regarding that - People sow bad seed all week long and then come to church on Sunday and pray for crop failure. And yes, that will get a laugh, but in all reality, it's not funny because the Truth remains that what we sow, we will reap.

What will your harvest be? What choices have you made in choosing your seed? You do realize that the seed choice for harvest is yours, yes? What will you sow? Love? Faith? Mercy? Doubt? Anger? Selfishness? So many choices...so little time...

Seeds for Weed?
Seeds for Need?
Seeds for Greed?
Or Seeds for Feed?

And remember, within one seed is the potential for a plantation. Can you cultivate and nourish what you've already sown or is it time to dig up and replant? Hosea 10:12 reads, I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’

There is some time left, not a lot, but enough, if you start now. You want to be ready, come Harvest time.

Prayer:

Father,
           You are the Author and Finisher of our faith. Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. You knew the end from the beginning and made provision for our salvation in spite of our wicked ways. We do not want the harvest described in Hosea 10:13-14 for those who chose not to plant good seed. Open our hearts and minds to heed Your Word, Father. Shine Your light on us so we can see exactly what needs to be dug up and replanted. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Seed of a Miracle

So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his commands.
Psalm 78:7 NLT

I love reading about the miracles recorded in God's Word, don't you? It's exciting and a little terrifying to think of one million Israelites crossing on dry land through the parted waters of the sea. Think about facing a giant with a sling and a few stones. Aaron's rod - a dead stick that blossomed and produced almonds overnight (normally a 6-8 month process). An iron axe head that floated. Feeding thousands with just a few loaves and a some fish - and have leftovers! Not to mention, blind eyes and deaf ears opened. The dead raised to life. Too many to list here! 

We are quick to ask God for a miracle; we know without doubt when we're in need of one, but have we ever really thought about miracles? Miracles are more than blessings. I'm not talking about winning a lottery kind of thing. I'm referring to a supernatural intervention from God when we are in crisis. 

Did you ever stop to realize that ALL miracles begin with a problem? And that many come with a great test of our faith? Do we know what His Word says specifically about the situation? Will we remain faithful to God and to His Word when a miracle doesn't take place in our desired time frame? Do we dare to believe God - no matter what? 

Is His Word ALIVE in us - in hearts that are prepared as good soil before Him? Not hardened, not dry. Let us also remember that it doesn't matter how much we water if there's no seed in the soil. 

Prayer:

Father, 
          Keep us ever mindful that we must build each other up in our most holy faith, praying in the power of the Holy Spirit, awaiting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring us eternal life. Father, we want to be safe in Your love. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Hit the Dirt

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word. The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved. The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation. The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity. And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest.
Luke 8:11-15 NLT

It is my humble opinion that all of us have walked through each stage represented in this passage of Scripture. I believe that is why reading and hearing the Word of God was never intended to be a one-time event. Scripture tells us, Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The more we hear it, the more our faith grows. The more our faith grows, the more we hear it and begin to embrace the truth of it. The more we embrace the truth of it, the more our hardened hearts our broken up. The rocks get broken down to a size that we can toss away. The soil gets loosened with the washing by the water of the Word and the roots of the thorns of this life can be more easily plucked out of our lives.

Hosea tells us to plant the good seeds of righteousness, and we will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of our hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord... When we do, we will have the good soil in our hearts so that when God's Word comes to us, we will cling to it, and it will produce a harvest in our lives. So... hit the dirt! Plow it up, according to His Word.

Prayer:

Father,
           We want to be the good soil - the honest, good-hearted people who hear Your Word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. Help us to embrace Your Truth over the facts of our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* After Its' Own Kind

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
Genesis 1:31 NLT

How many of us have heard our mothers say (in reference to our having children), "I don't wish you any harm, just one exactly like yourself!" For some of us, that could be a very scary thought and experience!

I've been reading in Genesis, about everything God did when He began Creation. Specifically, how He created everything to produce after its own kind. Plants, birds, wildlife, people. I see this more and more clearly with my youngest grandchild. There are days she is SO my son and other days when I see my daughter-in-love's face or actions. It's then I'm reminded most of this portion of Scripture.  

What if there was someone terrible in our ancestral lineage? What if the story is full of spiritual blight? Does this mean we're destined to have that bad seed sown and harvested in our life? No, and I'll tell you why. In Genesis, God decided to make man in HIS own image and breathed HIS breath of Life into us - everything to produce after its own kind... Think about that for a moment.

Then think about this. When people look at us, do they see our Father? Do we act just like Him? Are we producing after His kind?

Prayer:

Father,
         Thank You for the Breath of Life and Your mercy and Grace. Thank You for making us in Your image and likeness. Be reproduced in us so strongly, Father, that people would see You in us no matter what! Help us to keep sowing the best seeds of You for You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen