ANB 17, Seedtime and Harvest

Today we are going to talk about a fundamental law that God has established on this
earth. You see, getting saved and born again is just the beginning of our lives in God.
Jesus Christ is the rock on which our whole houses must be built. Any part not built on
Jesus will surely fall. But after we accept Jesus we are to continue learning about God.
Accepting Jesus is not like winning the lotto. Accepting Jesus is being given THE power
source, so that we can accomplish anything on this earth. (Matthew 17:20, Luke 1:37).

But we must learn how to accomplish what we will according to God's system. God
has ways of doing things that are totally opposite from the world's ways. "For My
thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways, says the Lord." Isaiah
55:8. We know we can accomplish anything according to God's Will (God's Word), but
to accomplish something with God you have to do it His way. And I'll tell you right now,
until you get in the Word and learn about God, you know little to nothing about His
ways. Being saved is a free gift (see Romans), learning how to walk out that salvation
takes time and effort (Philippians 2:12). So make a decision to get in the Word and learn
His Ways.

That is how you do it. Read the Word, look to what God honors and dishonors, do the
former, completely reject the latter. God showed me this directly one time. Christians
have great power, but we are, in effect, strangers in a foreign land now. The Bible is how
to live in this land.

So let's look at perhaps the most fundamental principle regarding how God works on this
earth, seedtime and harvest. Let me show you how important this is first.

"While the earth remains seed time and harvest shall not cease." Genesis 8:22

After Jesus got done telling the people the parable of the sower, "He said to [His
disciples] unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God . . .know ye
not this parable? How then will ye know [any of] the parables? Mark 4:11,13.

(Read Mark 4 in detail).

So what do we see, whatever this law, "seedtime and harvest," is, it will never leave as
long as the earth is here. And for the disciples to understand any of what Jesus taught
them about God's way of doing things, they had to understand that law. Let me tell you
now, every single thing in your life functions by seedtime and harvest.

"Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also
reap. For he that sows to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that sows to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." (Galatians 6:7,8)

What you sow you will reap. So what do you sow? Are you kind, loving, caring and
gentle? Or are you harsh, critical and biting with your mouth? Are you generous, or are
you stingy? Every single thing you do is a seed. Every word you say is a seed. Every
thought you allow to take root in your head is a seed. (Not just quick thoughts, we all get
tempted, but thoughts we adopt by dwelling on them or by speaking them out.)

The above verses alone show how important this is. Our lives are governed by the law of
sowing and reaping. God knows what we sow, and God's Word ensures we will reap the
same. Therefore, unless we want corruption, we must learn how to sow to the Spirit. We
must learn to look at every decision we make as a chance to sow Spirit seed or flesh seed,
and make the right choice.

So how do you sow to the Spirit. The Spirit is the Holy Spirit. How do you sow into
your relationship with God, by doing what God's Will (God's Word) would have you do.
When you sow the Word into your life, you will reap it.

"This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; but you shall meditate therein
day and night, that you may observe to do all that is written therein: for then you shall
make your way prosperous and then you shall have good success." Joshua 1:8.

See what God says, sow a seed, spend time with the Word, then reap the harvest of
prosperity and success. "The sower sows the Word." Mark 4:14. Sow the Word into
your own life, sow this by doing what the Word says to do. Go to church, pray without
ceasing, read the Bible, love God above all else, love your neighbor as yourself. (See
Hebrews 10:25, I Thessalonians 5:17, II Timothy 2:15, Matthew 22:37-39 respectively).
These acts are how you sow to the Spirit. You are guaranteed life everlasting. When
you begin walking by the Word, you are sowing to the Spirit with every step. Begin
sowing Godly seed, and begin living your life everlasting.

So make a chart of your life. Seriously, take a minute and write down how you spend
your time. Look at each activity individually. In that activity, are you doing something
the Word of God would have you do, or are you not? Are you sowing to the Spirit or to
the flesh? We won't discuss obvious things, for you know which box most activities fall
into. Let's look at some that aren't so obvious.

Your occupation or schooling, for example. The Bible says, work as if unto
God. (Colossians 3:23). Do your work as if you were working for God. God
certainly has for you to work, so as long as you are working as a Christian would that is
a seed to the Spirit. But what about the smaller things, such as watching tv or movies or
sleeping too late. Think about how you can make more time for God. We are to devote
ourselves to God, which means making time for Him and His Word in our lives.
Remember, we must learn to operate God's system, we do that by The Word. So if you
spend a lot of time watching tv, but little time in the Word, think about the seed that
sows. You certainly aren't sowing to the Spirit by such a decision.

I don't mean to judge anyone. The point is that we should all begin looking for ways to
sow more seed to the Spirit. Eliminate seeds you know go to the flesh immediately, then
let God show you how to sow the rest of your life. God is the Lord of the Harvest, so He
knows the proper seeds. (Matthew 9:38). And God is faithful to give seed to the sower.
(II Corinthians 9:10)

So sow to the Spirit, and the Word of God assures you the harvest of life everlasting.
That is a harvest you will soon begin reaping. Tell God you want a Psalms 138:8
"perfect my life Lord" harvest as well. He is Faithful.

P.S. attached is a short scripture sheet on seedtime and harvest