Ancient Words For Today - 17
Sowing and reaping is mentioned many times and in different contexts in the Bible. The most common sense refers to a farmer who sows seeds and reaps the mature crops at harvest time. In the passage above, Paul was speaking of generosity in giving. He went on to say:
Jesus used the concept of sowing and reaping in a parable to illustrate a very important spiritual principle:
"He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Matthew 13:36-43
Jesus sows the earth with good seeds, which He explained represent the sons of God's kingdom (those who have believed in the Son of Man, which is a phrase Jesus used repeatedly to refer to Himself). One of our primary purposes for being on the earth, as children of God, is to be a witness to the world that Jesus is the Son of God and that salvation and eternal life flow only from Him. We are sent, by God, to share the Gospel with others so that they can receive forgiveness of their sins and God's gift of eternal life.
Paul explained it this way, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! Romans 10:13-15
What a great privilege and blessing it is to lead someone to God through Jesus Christ! Today would be a great day to sow the seed of the Gospel to someone, telling them about our glorious Lord Jesus and God's plan of salvation.
God bless you and may your feet be beautiful.
"So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good work." In other words, when we provide financial aid, give of our time or utilize our God-given talents and resources to help others, God will provide us with everything we need in abundance so that we can continue to do so.