SOWING AND REAPING: WE REAP THE FULL HARVEST OF GOOD ONLY IF WE PERSEVERE

MEMORY VERSE: And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Proverbs 2-3

Galatians 6:7 says,” Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Firstly, be not deceived. Some are being deluded into thinking that they can reap without sowing. That’s impossible! Unless one sows, there will be nothing to reap. Unless one sows mercy, one will not reap mercy. Matthew 5:7 says, “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Not until we let go and forgive those who have wronged us, our sins will not be forgiven. According to Matthew 6:12 not until we forgive the debts of others, our own debts to God will not be forgiven. If one sows a smile, one will reap a smile too. Except one puts orange seeds into the ground, one will not reap an orange tree. Except one trains one’s children in the fear of God, they will not grow up to fear God.

It is one thing to sow; it is another thing to reap. Also, it is one thing to reap; it is another thing to reap the full harvest. Not everyone who sows reap the full harvest. To reap the full harvest one must persevere. Good edible plants must be planted and cultivated. Weeds, on the other hand, grows naturally. A godly man must be trained and mentored. A man that will fulfil destiny must be mentored. So also, a sister who will become a good wife must be trained and mentored. Galatians 6:9 says, “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” We cannot plant a garden and then just forget it. If we do, very little will come from the planting because of the many forces that work against a good harvest. A garden requires continuous labour and care in order to reap an abundant harvest. This is true in the spiritual world and physical world. Regardless of where one plants the seed, weed will grow. It is now left to the farmer to destroy them as they grow. Circumstances that will discourage one from sowing will definitely come up. Friends that will discourage one from sowing will always show up. You may have been keeping yourself from the world, friends who will encourage you to mix with the world, go to night clubs and parties (to increase your chances of getting a wife) will come. You may have been dressing in a decent way, friends who will encourage you to ‘show some skin’ or wear something tight i.e. something that pronounces your figure so as to attract single men will turn up. To reap the full harvest, you must persevere. You must continue to witness to that friend who does not want to hear about Jesus. You must continue to witness to that colleague who makes fun of your Christian beliefs. You must continue to pray for that child that is always causing problems in school. You must continue to pray for that man who is always returning from work drunk. You must continue to preach the unadulterated word of God to people. You may not be popular for preaching against unmarried people living together. You may not be popular for preaching against fornication and other forms of immorality. But, persevere in preaching the truth. Don't preach what people want to hear but the message that will save them from hell. Persevere in teaching women that the man is the head of the family and as such, they must submit to their husbands. Persevere in instructing men to love their wives just as Christ loved the church. Continue to sow those good seeds in the midst of opposition. Continue to show love to that mother in law who thinks you are not good enough for her son.

NOTE: According to 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, it is God who gives increase and He will give increase to your seeds.

CONFESSION: I refuse to be tired of sowing good seeds. I refuse to be fed up of living a godly Christian life.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SOWING AND REAPING: WE REAP IN PROPORTION TO WHAT WE SOW

MEMORY VERSE: But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.2 Corinthians 9:6

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Psalm 66-68

Every living thing God created is designed to produce after its own kind. Genesis 1:24 says, “Then God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” According to John 3:6, flesh gives birth to flesh and the Spirit gives birth to the spirit. Galatians 6:8 says, “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.” One of the ways people sow into the flesh is by enjoying secular music or watching pornographic movies, viewing nude pictures, etc. These things pollute our lives. The enemy of our soul is gradually making it readily available for everyone to view. Today, there are several videos all over the internet showing these ungodly pictures and movies, and as such be on your guard. You don’t know what you are losing every time you watch these things. What many of us do not know is that we open the door for the spirit of lust and other demons to enter into our lives when we indulge in theses things.

We reap in proportion to what we sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” If an individual sows few orange seeds, he or she will get one or two orange trees. But, if the same individual sows a lot of orange seeds, he or she may end up with an orange plantation. If one sows sparingly into the life of his or her children, one will reap sparingly but if one makes the effort and sacrifices his or her time to look after them and raise them in the way they should go, one will go to the grave a happy father or a happy mother. The brother or sister who sows his or time / resources/ talents sparingly when it comes to the service of God will reap in proportion to what he or she has sown. So also, a brother or sister who sows his or her time / resources/ talents bountifully will reap in proportion to what he or she has sown. Just as those who are generous to God and His servants will reap in proportion to what they sow, those who are stingy to God and His servants will also reap in proportion. God encourages us to live as children of God, according to the principles and promises that our generosity will not be forgotten. Bountiful sowing is always to be the result of the outworking of biblical insights, values, commitment and the spirit filled life.

We give so that our God is glorified and others are blessed. When giving life uncertainties will be there. Ecclesiastes 11:4 says, “He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.” Life uncertainties are one of the things that keep people from giving and ministering to others when they have opportunities. The world’s philosophy on sowing is this: 'Get all you can, can all you get, then, sit on the can.' But the Lord’s philosophy on sowing is the opposite of this. If you want to be rich, give. According to Luke 6:38, if you give it will come back to you in big measure. If you want to be poor, grasp. Proverbs 11:24b says, “and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” If you want abundance, scatter. Proverbs 11:24a says, “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;” If you want to be needy, hoard.

QUESTION: Are you generous to God?

Confession: I enjoy giving to God. I sow bountifully to the things of God and reap bountifully too.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

ACCORDING TO THEIR KIND

MEMORY VERSE: Then God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds. And it was so. Genesis 1:24

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Kings 5-9

It is what a man or woman sows that he or she will reap. Galatians 5:7 says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” We have discussed few things about sowing and reaping for instance, the harvest is always greater than the seed planted. If one sows few orange seeds, one will get an orange tree in return. Not only that, we reap in a different season than we sow. One don’t harvest corn the same day one plants it. There is always a waiting period. Plants don’t grow overnight. Also, Rome was not built in a day.

Also on the subject of ‘sowing and reaping’, we reap the same kind as we sow. As we continue in this ‘sowing and reaping’ series, please take note of what the Lord is revealing to us. God determined in creation that all will multiply after its kind. Genesis 1:24 says, “Then God said, "Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” Just as sheep reproduce after their own kind, goats also reproduce after its kind. Just as eagles reproduce after their own kind, chickens also reproduce after its kind. You will never find an eagle giving birth to a chicken. John 3:6 says, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

When we go through the Bible, we will find that people have always reaped the same kind of what they have sown. In 1 Kings 17:7-16, the widow of Zarapheth fed the prophet of God with her last meal and the Lord fed her and her child all through the famine. In 1 Samuel 1-2, Hannah gave her only child, Samuel, to God and in return she got 5 children (3 boys and 2 girls). That boy who sowed his meal (five bread and two fishes) and received in return twelve baskets of bread and fishes ( Mark 6:30-44). In 1 Kings 21, Ahab killed Naboth and took his land. The Lord sent a message to him saying “ Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine” (1 Kings 21:19). By the time we get to 1 Kings 22:38, we read about dogs licking the blood of Ahab at the same spot where Naboth’s blood was licked. It does not matter what one sows, one will reap the same kind as one has sown. In 2 Samuel 11, David coveted another man’s wife, committed adultery with her, killed the man, and stole the man’s wife. He reaped the same kind. Had it not been God's mercy he would have been murdered.Do you know that if an individual hears a person crying for help and the individual pretends as if he or she cannot hear, that individual will also cry for help one day and people around will pretend as if they cannot hear. Proverbs 21:13 says, “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.”

QUESTION: Are you sowing into the flesh or into the spirit? Remember, those who sow into the flesh will reap corruption whilst those who sow into the Spirit will reap eternal life.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, Let your death on the cross not be in vain over me.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

SOWING AND REAPING: WE REAP ONLY WHAT HAS BEEN SOWN I

MEMORY VERSE: Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.Psalm 51:5

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Luke 9-10

Except something is sowed, there will be nothing to reap. What we reap was either planted naturally or purposely, either by God or by man, and either for positive or for negative results. Firstly, we reap fruits from the labours of others. John 4:38 says, “I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.” We reap blessings from the seeds others have sown. For instance, the seed of the blessings of Abraham we are reaping today was sown over 4000 years ago (Genesis 22). Verse 16-18 says, “And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”

Several years back, in late 1800s a Scottish missionary, a young woman, sowed a powerful seed in Calabar area of Nigeria, West Africa. Prior to her arrival in Calabar, Natives considered the birth of twins an evil curse. They feared that the father of one of the infants was an evil spirit, and that the mother had been guilty of a great sin. Unable to determine which twin was fathered by the evil spirit, the natives often abandoned both babies in the forest. It was known as the ‘twin murder superstition of the Dark Continent’. A lot of young twins were killed during this period. Whilst working in Calabar, someone brought a twin which had been left for dead in the forest to this lady missionary. She took the child into her home as her own. This marked the beginning of a marvelous career of twin-rescuing which finally resulted in the natives abandoning the practice entirely. Today, many families are reaping from the seed she sowed over 100 years ago. A lot of twins born in that part of Nigeria have now become doctors, surgeons, lawyers, etc. The young woman’s name is Mary Slessor. This brings us to this soul searching question, 'what are you sowing today that the next generation can benefit from' ?

We reap blessing because of what God has done on our behalf. One of the blessings we reap from what God did on our behalf is that of common grace. Matthew 5:45 says, “that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” The Lord is good to all (believers and unbelievers) and everyone benefits from His goodness even atheists. Every good gift we enjoy comes from God. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Had He not given them to us, we would not have been in receipt of them. John 3:27 says, “John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.”

QUESTION: What are you sowing into you spiritual life? How is your quiet time with the Lord? Do you still read the bible? What do you want to be remembered for when the Lord calls you home? What are you sowing today that your children can reap from?

PRAYER POINTS: Father, please make me a world changer for Jesus.

twitter@BroOluwatoki

Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.

FOR THEY HAVE SOWN THE WIND

Memory verse: For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up. Hosea 8:7

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Jeremiah 22-24

We have been looking at the subject of sowing and reaping recently. As a Christian, you must be sowing; no amount of praying and fasting can make a fellow reap what he has not sown or reap from where he has not sown. Start your day with prayers , pray for yourself, your husband, your wife, your children, your family (close and extended), your neighbours, your colleagues at work, your managers, the state you live in, your country, your church, your church pastors, your leaders (church, state, country), missionary, just pray for everyone. Let us always remember to pray for our leaders, the enemy is working ceaselessly, he wants them to get it wrong so that you and i can suffer. Let us also pray for those running our financial institutions, if they get the policies right, it is you and i who will benefit.
One truth about sowing and reaping, all things being equal, harvest is always greater than the seeds sown. This is why you and i must be careful about what we are sowing. Hosea 8:7 says for they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.

Let us take a look at two bible characters that sow wind and reaped whirlwind. For a long time, Esau had been sowing venison and other types of games into the life of his father (Isaac). When the day of reaping came, Rebecca and Jacob schemed and ended up with the harvest of Esau. They both sow wind and reaped whirlwind – trouble and heartache. This minute Jacob was safe, the next minute his life was at risk because Esau swore to kill him the moment his father (Isaac) passed away. This minute Rebecca’s mind was at rest, the next minute she was panicking because her first born had decided to kill his junior brother for robbing him of his harvest. Both (Rebecca and Jacob) did not know peace all because they took what did not belong to them. Do you know that for over twenty years, Rebecca did not set her eyes on her beloved son? Jacob had to flee to another location, as far as Esau was concerned, he was a dead man walking. Every parent knows what it means not to set eyes on their favorite child for a year; Rebecca went through that for over twenty years. The same way, Jacob caused Isaac emotional pain by tricking him; his own sons caused him emotional pain. They sold Joseph to slavery and lied to him that a wild beast had torn him apart. Friends, is it really worth it? That thing does not belong to you, why take it? That project work was prepared by another colleague, why rub off his name and put your name there, everyone is praising you for someone else’s effort and you are feeling big. A friend borrowed you some money, when it was time to pay back, you denied borrowing money from him. They gave you money to make a dress; you spent the money and did not make the dress. Now, the owner of the dress is calling you and you are ignoring her calls.

NOTE: The word of God cannot be broken, to avoid reaping whirlwind, every wind we may have sown, lets us begin to make restitution immediately.

Bro Samuel – Reaching the world for Jesus.

SOW THE SEED

MEMORY VERSE: Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it dies, it bringeth forth much fruit, John 12:24.

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Deut 2, Ps 83-84, Isa 29, Jude 1

It is compulsory for every born again Christians to evangelize. A believer who does not evangelize is simply not a friend of Christ. Matthew 12:30 says He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. A believer that is not evangelizing on a regular basis is not fulfilling the terms and conditions of his salvation. John 15:16 says ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

Seed sowing and evangelism are very similar. There are one or two things you need to understand about evangelism. Firstly, just as it is God that makes things grow, it is the Holy Spirit that convicts and saves a fellow. Our role as believers is to witness and do follow up, it is the role of the Holy Spirit to perfect the work of Salvation. Souls are not won by spiritual gymnastics or what you say, they are simply won by the Holy Spirit. Souls are not won by multitude of words or social skills; they are won by the Holy Spirit. You do not need any skill to win souls for Christ; all you need is the Holy Spirit and your willingness to be used by God.

Secondly, just as seeds don’t grow in a day don’t expect people to give their lives to Christ the same day you preach to them. It takes a bit of time and continuous watering for a seed to grow. It takes prayers and follow -ups for a fellow to be saved. All Christ expects from you is to witness, leave the rest to Him. A brother was taking drugs in a lonely place on top of a hill, when the seeds of evangelism that had been sown into his life began to grow. From nowhere the thought about whether Christ was really alive or not came into his heart. Immediately he felt the mighty presence of the Jesus and began to cry. That same day that brother gave his life to Christ and stopped taking drugs. There is no one who the Lord cannot saved, if the Lord can save that drug addict on that hill He can save any soul. Don’t lose hope over that family member or colleague or friend who despite all efforts has refused to give his or her life to Christ. There was a brother who virtually all of us had preached to (talking of people around him) but refused to give his life. This brother wasn’t really interested in the church because of his past experience with a fake pastor. At a point we all lost hope but one day something happened and I witnessed to him again and within 2 minutes this brother gave his life to Christ. Today he now attends church after a 15 year break from church. The seeds we had all sown into his heart germinated.

ACTION POINT: Nobody is too lost to be saved , just witness to them and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.