The Welfare of the Seed-planter

Sowers are special to God
Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]. (2 Corinthians 9:7 AMP)

There are only a dozen verses and categories where the Bible explicitly showed what or who God loves, and one of them is a cheerful giver.

The Lord already loves us just as we are – His children, His treasured possession. There is nothing in this world that could lessen that, and there is nothing we could ever do to make God love us more than His other children. God’s love is absolute.

But there’s a special action on our part that thrills His heart: Cheerful giving. He is thrilled because with our cheerful giving, He gets to give to us more.

Joyful seed-planters give in faith. They have come to grips that they are not letting go of what little they have, but are actually preparing to receive.

And because they do so in faith, God is pleased. Some pastors put it this way: God’s greatest desire is to be believed.

When we believe God and put our faith in His Words, He is thrilled! And one way to show our faith is in our offerings.

Seed-planters always receive another set of seed for planting.
And [God] Who provides seed for the sower and bread for eating will also provide and multiply your [resources for] sowing and increase the fruits of your righteousness [which manifests itself in active goodness, kindness, and charity]. (2 Corinthians 9:10 AMP)

God initiates it, and He sustains it. It is the Lord who provides seed for sowing. And then, He wants us to have seed storage for Him to fill and increase and expand.

He does all this, not for our avarice and senseless gratification, but for us to be busy in good works. Imagine all the good things we can do in the world if money were no object.

We can feed the poor and hungry. And then we need to transport these goods. So God blesses us with trucks. But it’s overseas, and the airport is destroyed by a calamity. It’s either God blesses us with helicopters or C130s, or we have enough finances to rent one. And it’s all because we want to feed the poor and hungry.

So we really need to plant that seed and receive more from God for planting again.

Seed-planters receive bountiful harvests from God
But remember this—if you give little, you will get little. A farmer who plants just a few seeds will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much. (2 Corinthians 9:6 TLB)

Given the same circumstances among farmers, if they have the same size of field and the same amount of seeds to sow, naturally we would think that their harvest is the same. But if we factor in the pests, and the ruined crops, or a storm, and even the fertilizers used, then we could rationalize a noticeable difference in yield.

The Father wants to give to His children. But the truth is seed-planters receive more than those who do not. And as God prefers to work within the confines of His Laws, so God blesses the work of our hands. The more work we do on our seeds – praying, anticipating and believing, versus planting and forgetting about it – then the Lord will bless the latter than the former. God doesn’t want us to live in the “desert” where we depend on manna. He wants us to toil the ground and reap a bountiful harvest from it.

Seed-planters who are cheerful tickle God’s heart. In return, God always gives them more seed to sow, and more harvest to enjoy the goodness of God.

The next time you drop that offering in the offering box, set your heart on seed-planting, and sow it in God’s work. Sow it in faith and joy, and anticipate the cycle of another seed-planting opportunity and the pleasures of living in your harvest-rewards.

Image courtesy of Lightstock.

The Curse of the Thief

I n the middle of audit week, our company accountants decided not to show up. As it turned out, they embezzled some money. What struck me the most was that the people who did it were not strangers; they were like mothers and aunts. We saw them almost every day, smile at them, laugh with them, and made plans together. As part of the management team, we ate out and had a friendly good time. It was heartbreaking to realize that the people in the news for some criminal activity had the same profile as those that I had warm and cuddly relations with. But loyalty goes up. My love for God supersedes any other relationship. I feel sad, yes, but I have no inkling to cover for them. If anything, I am upset because I was this close to them, and yet, clueless. My colleagues and I were mixed emotions. On one hand, we felt betrayed. The suspects were like family. We confided in them and planned activities with them in all sincerity and warmth. But maybe, just maybe, they were truthful and sincere...

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The KJV word is bishoprick , which is now archaic in spelling. Most Bible translators didn’t use the modern spelling ‘ bishopric,’ and that, for a good reason. #Acts1v20 For it is written in the book of Psalms: “Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell in it.”, and, “His bishopric, let another take.” A quick google search shows that bishopric means: the office or rank of a bishop. · a district under a bishop's control; a diocese. But looking closely at the Greek word, episkopé, reveals a deeper meaning: a visiting, an overseeing [Strong's]. Here's the kicker: bishopric k is not a desk job; it's fieldwork. An excellent, Spirit-filled bishop or pastor performs the act of visitation. How does one effectively "oversee" a flock? By being with them, by being among them. When God calls one to be a pastor of a people, the expectation is not like that of a manager who stays in the offic...

Genesis 7

And the Lord said to Noah, “Come - you and all your house - into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast, you must take with you by sevens, the male and its female; and of beasts that are not clean by twos, the male and its female. 3 Of fowls of the air also by sevens, the male and its female, to keep their seed alive upon the face of all the earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty (40) days and forty (40) nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.” 5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. . 6 And Noah was six hundred (600) years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that creeps upon the earth...

Genesis 18

And the L ORD appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground 3 and said, “My Lord , if now I have found favor in your sight, pass not away, I pray you, from your servant. 4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will fetch a morsel of bread and you comfort your hearts. After that, you may pass on, for therefore you have come to your servant.” And they said, “Do so, as you have said.” 6 And Abraham hastened into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and fetched a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, and he hastened to have it dr...

The Lord Jesus is my first and foremost Pastor. HE is the Great Shepherd of my soul. HE then leads me to HIS assigned undershepherd for me - my church pastor

#TrainYourConscience Heb13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit. NLT I remain under his pastoral care. I submit to him as to the Lord. I am comforted by the thought of his rod and staff. How I treat him reflects my attitude towards God's leadership. Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay . .

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#Col2v23 These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person's evil desires NLT #crosswise Human rules and earthly wisdom have no power over sin and temptation.

Genesis 13

And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south. 2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. 3 And he went on his journeys from the south even to Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai, 4 to the place of the altar, which he had made there at the first; and there Abram called on the name of the Lord . 5 And Lot also, which went with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents. 6 And the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together; for their property and goods were great, so that they could not dwell together. 7 And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle; and the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelled then in the land. 8 And Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife, I pray you, between me and you, and between my herdsmen and ...

Acts 5

the king version But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, 2 and kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has [1] Satan filled your [2] heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price of the land? 4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own power? Why have [3] you [4] conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied unto men, but unto God.” 5 And Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and gave up the spirit [5] , and great fear came on all those who [6] heard these things. 6 And the young men arose, wrapped [7] him up, and carried him out, and buried him. 7 And it was about after [8] three hours later [9] when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. 8 An...

Acts 7

the king version Then the high priest said, “Are these things so?” 2 And he said, “Men, brethren, and fathers, listen! [1] The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, [2] 3 and said unto him, ‘Get [3] out of your country and from your kindred, and come into the land which I shall show you.’ ( Gen. 12:1) 4 Then he came out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in Haran; and from there, [4] when his father was dead, He removed him into this land in which [5] you now dwell. 5 And He gave him no [6] inheritance in it — no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet He promised that He would give it to him for a possession and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child. 6 And God spoke in this way: [7] That his seed should sojourn in a strange land, and that they should bring them into bondage, and treat [8] them evil for four hundred years. 7 ‘And the nation to whom they ...

Being On God’s Side: The Nonpartisan Obedience And Submission of The Elect

My choice of candidate is only as good as when I vote. My vote is only as good as when it is counted. But when the tally comes, my choice is irrelevant – God decides who is king. Every person is to be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. (Romans 13: 1 NASB) Our future does not depend on the person who gets elected, but on the One who sits on the Throne. If God has already decided, then why do I need to vote? This sounds like the clay who talks back to the Potter, “Why did you make me this way?” [see Romans 9:19-20] Let’s admit it: Though we vote according to our conscience, our conscience is formed by information made available to us. We can only know so much about a candidate, but God knows all things. In choosing, our sense of compatibility and personal preference are at work. We like a certain candidate because we feel that we like something about them, or w...

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