Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will in result in thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 9:10-11
I am probably the world’s worst gardener. I don’t know what it is but it seems everything I touch either grows weeds or dies quickly. In fact for my daughter’s birthday I bought her a much requested gift, had a dessert ready and, as an added touch, I went to the store and bought her a plant for her garden. I literally bought it two hours before she came over so I figured I was safe. When I left the store, the plant was totally fine and when she came over two hours later, the flower had completely wilted. Seriously… is anyone else this bad with plants?
So as I read this verse I have to admit – I got a bit nervous and felt like I was setting myself up for utter failure. However, as I reread this multiple times there were so many nuggets of truth I just couldn’t let it go. In fact, I pondered its truth for several days before I even began to write. I have a feeling it’s one of those passages that will keep speaking to me over and over again.
Here are some of my thoughts:
- There are two parties involved – the seed supplier and the sower. The seed supplier, of course, is God and we are the sower. The great plan was to have both parties involved in order to bring about the harvest.
- If God gives me seed, my role is to sow it. Nothing comes to fruition if I just leave the seed in the corner and do nothing with it.
- I ask myself this question: What seed has God given me?
- Am I faithful to sow the seed He gave and and am I sowing into the ground He has given me in which to plant?
- If I’m not faithful with sowing the seed He gave me, there will be no harvest.
- What harvest will be missing in this world if I’m not faithful to sow?
- The more I plant, the more God entrusts me with more seed, and the greater the harvest.
- The greater the harvest, the more I am enriched, and the more I can give.
- Constantly sowing and giving only brings an increase for everyone involved. Everyone wins and nobody loses.
I was at a conference recently and heard Peter Greer make this statement that was an “ah-ha” moment for me. He said, “Do you believe in a world of scarcity or abundance?” I had to admit, I tended to default to believing in a world of scarcity and I knew that contradicted what the Bible said about God. I was challenged to change my default. If we live in a world of scarcity then we are quick to hold on to things but if we live with a mindset of abundance we know the more we sow and give, the more we receive.
This is the economy of God. I have a feeling with God on my side, I just might be a successful gardener – I’m going to give it my best shot 🙂
May we continue to live …
Rooted in Him,
