SOW A SPECIAL SEED ----------------------------------------- EVERY MAN according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 KJV ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ SOME FIRST-CENTURY CHRISTIANS were struggling to survive in the Greek town of Corinth. The Bible says, The people were in deep poverty and deep trouble ( see 2 Corinthians 8:2 ). What did they do in their time of need? Did they complain and pout? Did they say, God, why do we have so much trouble coming against us? Not at all.The Scripture records, In the midst of their great trouble, they stayed full of joy and they gave generously to oth- ers. Notice they sowed a seed in their time of need. They knew if they would help to meet other peopless needs, God would meet theirs. In your times of difficulty,do just what they did. Number one, stay full of joy. Number two, go out and sow a seed. Help some- one else,and you will be helped. The Bible says, : Give generously, for your gifts will return to you later. Divide your gifts among many, for in the days ahead you yourself may need much help ( Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 TLB ). Notice, God is giving us a principle here that will cause us to have our needs supplied during those tough times that occasionally come. Give generously right now, because in the future you may need some help. God is keeping a record of every good deed youve ever done. He is keeping a record of every seed youve ever sown. And in your time of need, He will make sure that somebody is there to help you. Your generous gifts will come back to you. God has seen every smile youve ever given to a hurting person. Hes observed every time you went out of the way to lend a helping hand. God has witnessed when you have given sacrificially,giving even money that perhaps you needed desperately for yourself or your family. God is keeping those records.Some people will tell you that it doesnt make any difference whether you give or not, or that it doesnt do any good. But dont listen to those lies. God has promised that your generous gifts will come back to you ( See Luke 6:38 ). Put some action behind your prayers.If you are believing for a promotion at work,dont just say, God, Im counting on you. Certainly,you should pray, but do more than pray.Go out and feed the poor,or do something to get some seed in the ground that God can bless. Your gifts will go up as a memorial before God. Perhaps you are hoping to buy a new home or to get out of debt. Sow a special seed that relates to your specific need. We cant buy Gods goodness,but we can exercise our faith through our giving. Victoria and I have proved this principle again and again in our lives, but one of the most memorable incidents took place early in our marriage when we decided that we wanted to sell our townhome and buy a house. For six or eight months, we never re- ceived a serious offer. At the time, we were making double mort- gage payments on the townhome,in an attempt to pay the principal down sooner. We decided to make the one required pay- ment, and wed sow the second part of that money as a seed, giv- ing it to Gods work, trusting Gods favor.We did that faith- fully for several months,believing for the townhome to sell. God not only brought us a buyer,but He did more than we could ask or think. We sold our townhouse for even more than we were hoping for! The Scripture says, When we give, God is able to make it all up to us by giving us everything we need and more so there will be not only enough for our needs,but we will have plenty left over so that we can give joyfully to others ( see 2 Corinthians 9:8 ). God has promised us that when we give, He will give back to us, then add some more. Maybe you are in a situation similar to the one Victoria and I were in, where you are praying and believing and hoping for something to change,but thus far,nothing has happened. Perhaps you need to sow a special seed. Sow your time. Sow a special of- fering. Do something out of the ordinary as an expression of your faith. if you will do that, God will pour out His favor in a new way. Friend, if you want to live your best life now, dont hoard what God has given you. Learn to sow it in faith. Remember, when you give,you are preparing the way for God to meet your needs today and in the future. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TODAYS PRAYER ------------------------------------------------------------------ FATHER,I want to do something out of the ordinary in the realm of giving, something that will stretch my faith, and cause me to know that when the answer comes,it is directly attributable to You and Your blessing on my willingness to give.
Posted on: Mon, 20 Jan 2014 23:19:26 +0000