God has put you right where you are for a reason, and He wants you to sow His seed. Not anyone else’s seed. Just the seed that is in your own bag.
Do you ever have one of those weeks when everywhere you turn you can see God gently telling you the same thing? Within two weeks, I have heard 3 different sermons on sowing seeds. I also came across it 3 times in my Bible readings and devotionals. I always know there is something God has for me to learn when that happens to me.
The first sermon I heard was the parable told by Jesus in Matthew 13 regarding sowing the seed by the wayside. Some seed died out, because it had no depth or root. Another got chocked out by thorns which are the worries of this life. The other took root and increased 30, 60, or 100 fold.
The second sermon I heard was at church where my pastor preached on how the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. In this sermon, he talks about how some seed is scattered and some seed is planted in a certain place for a reason. His point was that God has put us right where we are for a reason. Our job, our classroom, our friends, our neighbors, our children, and our spouse are all divinely chosen for us to sow seed among.
“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” 2 Corinthians 9:6, NIV
The last sermon I heard was about how the pastor’s dad taught him how to sow seed in a field when he was a boy. The main point in this sermon which struck home for me was that you have to get the seed out of your bag in order for it to grow. You can’t hold onto the seed which is God’s Word and leave it in the bag. You can’t expect there to be any increase in your circle of influence if you do that.
“Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.” Ecclesiastes 11:6, NIV
I live in a community where it is said that 70-80% of the population is unchurched. Montana also has the highest suicide rate of any state in the nation. It is a place where I can definitely see people hurting, people hopeless, and people trying to fill a hole for which they have no name. It is a hole that can only be filled with Jesus.
My family, my kids, and my job are here. I carry my bag of seed daily. If I am honest, I sometimes just carry it without sowing it. Other times, I do sow it, pray it will take root, and that God will give the increase. I can speak truth to my kids or someone I am counseling. However, it is a work of God to open their eyes to their need for him. My only job is to sow the seed and to be obedient. I then have to let go and trust God with the outcome. He is the only one who can give the increase.
Where has God placed you today? For some, you are in the throes of parenting littles, and they are your main ministry. For others, He has put someone in your path at work who needs to hear His truth. He has put you right where you are to sow His seed. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37). Take courage and get some seed out of your bag. Be obedient, sow it, and trust God with the outcome.
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor.” 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, NIV
Interested in reading another post about sowing seeds with your children? Try reading Satan Is Fighting For Our Kids.
