Written in Our Hearts

 Jer. 31:33
, ..I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.

The new covenant of grace is given to the Jews here. There will come a day that God’s word will dwell in our hearts. The Word will be in us and work through us. The law will no longer be a taskmaster that drives us to do what is right, but His word would be a natural flow that springs from our heart. A new day was promised to the Jews. There will come a day where everyone will be accountable for their own actions. For the law of sowing and reaping will not be applied to the seed of those who come after. No doubt, choices people make may have a far reaching influence on generations to come, but God’s judgment now falls on he who sows. The coming of Christ and the promise of the Father to send the Holy Spirit, fulfilled the law of the Old Testament. An “eye for an eye”, change to “Turn to the other cheek.” God’s word has become a love letter to those that read it. We follow his word and commandments because we love Him and desire to please Him. The Old covenant is not entirely eliminated, but it does reveal to us that God is good and faithful, and His word can now live in our hearts.

Cheerful Giver

 2 Corinth 9:7
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
The motivation to give for a cause should be based on our desire to help build the kingdom of God, and reach out in some way to help someone who has a need. We live in a world where everyone is looking out for self, and seeking to gain just a little more. This is demonstrated when Jesus spoke about the man who wanted to tear down his barn and build bigger ones to store his riches. (Luke 12:18). There is no wrong in wanting to increase your financial standing. We are told to be good stewards of what God has given us. Being forced to give what God has allowed us to earn is not really giving from the heart. Out of necessity, we pay taxes, we don’t give taxes. Out of necessity (the principle of tithing) we pay ten percent of our earnings to God’s work. This giving was established in the OT to support the work of the priesthood.  Paul says, don’t let your giving be done because you're compelled by some law, but let your giving be done from the heart with cheerfulness that you are doing it for God and His cause. The principle of reaping and sowing is demonstrated in how you give. The more you give cheerfully, the more God’s grace will be abound to you. Delight in giving of your means to the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart, and always provide you with what you need

Speaking God's Word

 1 Corinth 2:4

And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Sharing Jesus to others elegantly in persuasive speech is not one of my talents. I’m not an oracle who is able to take the English language and adequately explain God’s word. Yes, I have become very knowledgeable in understanding the doctrine and teachings of Jesus, and the other Apostles, whose words are inspired by the Holy Spirit. Give me time to process, I can do a fairly good job in explaining God’s words to others in writing. But, my mind will often go blank when presented with the challenge of presenting these truth orally when opportunity comes to share His word. Times like this, I have to fall on the power of the Holy Spirit to help me to say what needs to be said. I, like Moses, have challenges speaking in public or to others the words that I have seen others do so adequately. It is through the demonstration of the Spirit that I must depend on being  faithful to speak truth, and provide the message of hope and instruction to live blameless in this present world. Plant the seed of God’s word, and let God do His work. His word will not return void.

We May Never See

Deut 34:4b …I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.

As promised, Moses was not permitted to enter into the promise land. Yes, he dropped the ball and he paid the price, but God would not leave him without consolation. God open his eyes to see the inheritance that would be granted to his seed. For whatever reasons, we may never realized the fruit of our labors. We toil in the fields before us, sowing the seed of God’s love and Christ’s forgiveness. We may never see the harvest in our day. We take consolation in knowing that God will be faithful, and His word will not be sowed in vain. Yes, the harvest is ready, and some are gathering, but the seed must be buried before there is a harvest to reap. Moses was faithful to sow the seed of deliverance, Joshua took them into the promise land.

Sowing and Reaping

John 4:37 And herein is that saying true, One sows, and another reaps.

It is easy to get discourage sowing the seed of the gospel and not seeing anyone won to Christ by the efforts we make. Weather it is inviting someone to church, or extending the love of God to help someone, God has given all of us a job to do. Ultimately, it is God who gives the increase. Some are given the gift to speak, to engage in conversation to share the grace of God concerning salvation and new life in Christ. Others work hard behind the scenes to show kindness and acts of mercy to people who are not open to preaching, but open to see God’s love demonstrated. Reaping cannot happen without the seed being sowed. If the ground is fertile, the Holy Spirit waters it with conviction. The season for reaping is before us. As we go about planting seed, let us be vigilant to gather the fruit of the harvest for the day draws near and the season will soon be pass.

Watered by Tears

Ps. 126:6 “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”-

Seed that are watered by tears and weeping are never sowed in vain. The promise given to us in God’s Word will doubtless come to pass. With every action there is a reaction. Sow good deeds, reap joy, sow wickedness, reap sorrow. sowing and reaping is a cause and effect behavior. We get out of it what we put into it as a general rule. There are always exceptions, but God honors those who make the effort to do what is right and to take time to sow by praying for others and doing acts of kindness. 

Doing Good

Gal 6:9 “And let us not be weary in welldoing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”

Doing good is a nature response of a Christian who is desiring to live close to God. The motivation to do good is not driven by what we can get back in return. But we desire to see the fruit of our labor as we reach out to see others find Jesus. We can become weary of not seeing our efforts bare fruit. We sow the Gospel seed by showing kindness to those who don’t know Him. We also show others that we don’t live unto ourselves, by carrying each others burdens. We cannot give up our efforts in doing good to others and to those who are of the household of faith. We may not see or reap in this life, but in due season, God will give the increase.

Sowing To The Spirit

Gal. 6:8 “For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.”- 

Sowing is something we do out of choice. It is the actions that we demonstrate by what we do, say, or think. The principle of sowing is what you plant is what you will get. If you do things that will please the flesh and and satisfy its appetites, then you will reap the ill effects of that choice. If you do that what is right and do all things to the glory of God, then the rewards will bring rejoicing and fruits that will last for eternity. So, if we see someone who has fallen, sowing to the Spirit is to pray for the restoring of them, and not one of judgment. No one can make it to heaven on their own, we all need help from God and each other, we all need the Word to help us make it through the rough times. If we think that we can make it on our own (sowing to the flesh) then we are deceived. God’s Word is true and His Word will prove to be the final say. Let those who sow to the Spirit teach the Word with love and grace to strengthen those in the household of faith who have fallen. Let us bare one another’s burdens and sow acts of kindness, fulfilling the law of Christ.

God Gives The Increase

1 Thess 3:6 “But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that ye have a good remembrance of us always and desire greatly to see us (as we also desire to see you),”-  

God’s work is done by a collection of people who desire to see His kingdom come to pass. It is our responsibility to be faithful to the calling that God has called us to. Seeing an increase in numbers added to your fellowship is always encouraging, but it is not the main indicator of God’s approbation. We all plant the see, water it and cultivate the ground, but it is God who is given the glory for the increase of numbers or spiritual growth. Paul sowed the seed in Thess, but Timothy came back with a good report. and God was given the praise. May He increase in our hearts that others may see the works of Christ working in our lives.