Farmers know very well the principle of Seed ~ Time ~ Harvest. If a farmer plants a seed of any crop into the ground and keeps it watered and nourished, he/she can then expect a harvest of that crop at some point. Different seeds have different harvest times.
Now, a seed cannot be sown along the wayside, in stony places, or among weeds and thorns...but they should be sown in good ground. In that good ground or "kalos" ground, the seed will take root, flourish and produce.
There are many applications to the parable in Matthew 13. But the one I want to emphasize today is GIVING, as it relates to Luke 6:38..
"Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and RUNNING OVER, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Of course, there are many ways to give: Give your time. Give your prayers. Give your smiles. Give your money. Give your talents. Give your voice.
And I'm sure you can think of other ways to give.
When we give, we do it out of our love and our compassion for others and from that "God place" inside of us.
I have a heart for the elderly and whenever I can help an elderly person with their walker, or through a doorway, my heart eagerly wants to help. I do not expect anything from them in return. I do it out of love.
If I give my used clothing to the poor, I do it from that God place and I do not expect anything from the recipients in return.
If I smile at someone, I do it from that God place and I do not expect anything from the person in return.
But wait... what about that scripture???? It says that when I GIVE, something will come back to me!! And it says it will be RUNNING OVER. Hmmm.... time to pause and reflect on that for a minute....
And this is where so many preachers get it wrong. They say to NEVER expect ANYTHING when you give. I have heard this cringe-worthy broken record a thousand times over the years. They are completely ignoring Luke 6:38 along with hundreds of other scriptures that talk about blessings! The whole Bible is about Seed ~ Time ~ Harvest.
If you work at a job... you are giving your time to that company. Do you expect a paycheck?? When you give your money to The Red Cross, do you expect that they will give that money back to people in need? When a farmer gives the earth a seed, does he/she expect that seed to produce a harvest? When we give our prayers for someone, don't we expect a good outcome?
Here is my point. Anytime we give ANYTHING at all, we need to know that there is a SPIRITUAL principle involved. It's a basic KINGDOM principle. God is always working behind the scenes to BLESS US, because we have been a blessing to others. It may not come immediately, but it will come. It may come supernaturally directly from God, or He may allow it to come through people. And not always from the people to whom we give! The blessing may come through a completely different person! Any way we look at it, however, God is all about Seed ~ Time ~ Harvest!
So... plant your seeds in good ground! Plant your time, your money, your prayers, your giftings.... but just PLANT! And wait in EXPECTATION for biblical spiritual principles to begin working in your life, courtesy of our amazing Father in heaven, Who loves us unconditionally and Who wants us to be in HEALTH and to PROSPER in all ways!
AMEN!
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." ~ 3 John 1:2
~Kimberly @ God's Healing Power Radio Ministry.
GodsHealingPower.org
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