Sowing and Reaping
Jesus told a parable about a sower. "A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop; a hundred, , sixty or thirty times what was sown. He who has ears, let him hear. "
Later, He gave the meaning of the parable. "When anyone hears the message about the Kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
What was sown on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.
What was sown among thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.
But what was sown on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown" (Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23).
This parable illustrates that you sow what you reap, depending on your focus. The question you need to ask is, "do I have a lower level focus or a higher level focus"? The focus you have will determine what you reap.
For three examples Jesus gave, those who heard the word had a lower level focus. The first to hear the word, didn't understand it. That person didn't know to have higher level focus. They probably walked away thinking what they heard was crazy or strange. They might have walked away wondering if they ever could understand it.
This gave the enemy a chance to come and snatch away from the hearer's mind the word that they heard. The word planted in the hearer's mind didn't have any root. They hadn't pondered the word or focused on it.
The second to hear the word, was one who received the word with joy. This hearer apparently listened attentively, understood the word and received it. He took the word he heard into his heart. He pondered it and thought about it. But her focus was lower level focus. He didn't keep a higher level focus that would have led him to faith.
This hearer began having trouble come into his life because of the word. She apparently had received the word gladly. Yet, she didn't ponder or focus on the word very much. She had a surface belief and faith. He began being persecuted; probably ridiculed and made fun of. Or gossiped about, behind his back. Perhaps he was denied work. Maybe she was receiving physical threats due to the word. Nevertheless, trouble came. The trouble came because of the word. Because of this, she fell away.
When the trouble began to come, he maintained a lower level focus instead of a high level focus. Before the people of Israel went into the land God had promised them, they sent twelve spies into the land to check it out. Two of the spies came back and were afraid to go into the land, even if God had promised to be with them. In their eyes, the people occupying the land were like giants in their eyes. As a result they seemed like mere grasshoppers, compared to the people. They ended up having a low self-image of themselves.
Because of their low self-image, their lower level focus led them into being intimidated by the people in the land. Because of this, they were afraid of themselves and their children. They didn't believe they could take over the cities in the land, even with
God being with them.
The hearer where the word fell on rocky places, perhaps saw the persecution and troubles that were coming, as giants in his own life. He might have seemed very small and perhaps the word looked to him to be fairly small when compared to the giants of the trouble and persecution. She was maintaining her own lower level focus. This lower focus led her to be intimidated by the trouble and persecutions that were coming.
His intimidation led him into making all kinds of unholy agreements. He might have been saying the persecutions were destructive. They'll not enable him to find work. People in the village would dislike him or make fun of him. Perhaps the word itself, he had received, seemed small to him. She perhaps ended up feeling helpless against the troubles that were coming her way due to the word. She felt like there was nothing she could do to face and defeat the persecutions.
So he fell into the realm of protective self-preservation. He sought to protect himself against the persecution and troubles that had come his way. With all of the roots of fear being planted, he decided it was safer for him to give up on the word, rather than to continue to face all the troubles and persecutions coming his way. So he fell away and didn't follow the word anymore.
The same happened to the one who heard the word but he focused more on the worries of life than the word he heard. He was focused on the worries of life. He might have been worried about how he would find work. How would he be able to provide for his family. He was concerned about his job, the things he owned and how he was going to make payments on them.
She was also focused on pursuing wealth. She didn't think the word would help her attain her financial goals. Or perhaps the word she had heard on generosity and giving caused her to think that the word would actually get in the way of wealth building activities. So, she paid no more attention to the word, choking it out and making it unfruitful.
The Fruitful Seed
Then there's the one who heard the word and understood the word. This hearer represents good ground for the word to produce much fruit. In fact, Jesus said it produced a crop yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. In Luke 8:15, it's worded like this: "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it and by persevering produce a crop."
First, it begins with the heart. Jesus said the good soil represented the one with noble and good heart. The word "noble" means, "having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles or ideals". What ends up in the heart is what we have thought about and dwelled on.
What we focus on becomes what we think about. What we focus on and think about expands and grows. This is true whether we focus on good things or negative things. "As a man thinks in his so he is" (Proverbs 23:7). This is what is meant when Jesus said the one with a good and noble heart will retain the word. This person will dwell on the word. He will think about it, ponder it and focus on it. Those thoughts and focus will expand and grow, producing good fruit in one's life.
You will reap the kinds of thoughts and focus you sow. If you are focusing on the problems and things of this world, that is what you will reap. These kinds of thoughts will lead to death; the death of your hopes, dreams, your faith and eventually your life (Romans 8:6-7).
First, it begins with the heart. Jesus said the good soil represented the one with noble and good heart. The word "noble" means, "having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles or ideals". What ends up in the heart is what we have thought about and dwelled on.
What we focus on becomes what we think about. What we focus on and think about expands and grows. This is true whether we focus on good things or negative things. "As a man thinks in his so he is" (Proverbs 23:7). This is what is meant when Jesus said the one with a good and noble heart will retain the word. This person will dwell on the word. He will think about it, ponder it and focus on it. Those thoughts and focus will expand and grow, producing good fruit in one's life.
You will reap the kinds of thoughts and focus you sow. If you are focusing on the problems and things of this world, that is what you will reap. These kinds of thoughts will lead to death; the death of your hopes, dreams, your faith and eventually your life (Romans 8:6-7).
You Reap What You Sow
You truly reap what you sow. You can sow seed that leads you into faith. Or you can sow seed that will take you down the road of fear. This is true no matter what area of life you're talking about; be it relationships, finances, career, or health. It doesn't matter. This is a universal principle.
Paul addressed the principle of sowing and reaping. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8).
It may not be a sudden reaping. When you plant apple trees it can be anywhere from 4-7 years before you'll have fruit from the tree. But remember, your harvest will come in due time. "And let us not lose heart in doing good for in due time we shall reap, if we don't grow weary: (Galatians 6:9).
As you sow your faith seeds, don't lose heart. You may and mostly will not have a sudden burst of faith happen within you. Faith may very well grow slowly, as you ponder, think about, and pray about how you are planting the seeds of faith and how they are growing and receiving the nutrients they need though the harvest may not be a quick harvest.
But rest assured, as long as you faithfully plant these faith seeds, you will reap faith. The reverse is also true. As long as you allow and nourish the roots of fear to grow, you will reap a harvest of fear.
Plant the seeds of faith. In due time, you will reap a harvest as you continue to move from fear to faith.
Paul addressed the principle of sowing and reaping. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life (Galatians 6:7-8).
It may not be a sudden reaping. When you plant apple trees it can be anywhere from 4-7 years before you'll have fruit from the tree. But remember, your harvest will come in due time. "And let us not lose heart in doing good for in due time we shall reap, if we don't grow weary: (Galatians 6:9).
As you sow your faith seeds, don't lose heart. You may and mostly will not have a sudden burst of faith happen within you. Faith may very well grow slowly, as you ponder, think about, and pray about how you are planting the seeds of faith and how they are growing and receiving the nutrients they need though the harvest may not be a quick harvest.
But rest assured, as long as you faithfully plant these faith seeds, you will reap faith. The reverse is also true. As long as you allow and nourish the roots of fear to grow, you will reap a harvest of fear.
Plant the seeds of faith. In due time, you will reap a harvest as you continue to move from fear to faith.
