PROFITING BY THE LAW OF SOWING AND REAPING
Psalm 126:5,6; Isaiah 48:17-19
God is not a hypocrite. As a faithful Father He leads by example and shows us how to profit from the law of sowing and reaping. Sowing time is always a difficult moment requiring patience, persistence and hard work.
God gave (sowed) His only begotten Son to reap the millions of people who have been saved through the death and resurrection of Christ. The death of Christ was a difficult one, but He saw it as necessary fulfilment of the law of sowing and reaping (John 12:23,24).
“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty” (Proverbs 11:24).
“Since my money is God’s money, every spending decision I make is a spiritual decision” – Hagee.
P1. The Timeless Principles of Sowing and Reaping
Exodus 22:29,30; Gal. 6:7-9; Luke 6:38;16:9-12; 2 Corinth. 9:6-15
Let your sowing be guided by these timeless divine principles:
- Firstly (to God)
- Faithfully (1 Corinthians 4:2)
- Fully (Deuteronomy 14:22; Malachi 3:8)
- Frequently (1 Corinthians 16:1,2)
- Cheerfully
- Willingly
- We reap what we sow
- We reap more than we sow ( John 12:24)
- We reap later than we sow
“Today Christians spend more money on dog food than missions” – Ravenhill.
P2. The Tragedy and Penury from Stinginess & Rebellion
Deut. 8:10-20; Malachi 1:8,9,12-14; 3:6-9, 13-15; Haggai 1:2-11
Don’t be misguided on tithes and offerings:
- Tithing predates the Mosaic law (approximately by 430 years)
- It can’t therefore be regarded Jewish – it was practised before the Jews attained nationhood (Genesis 14:14-20; 28:20-22)
- Tithing was still practised at the time of Christ and he didn’t condemn it (Matt. 23:23; Luke 18:11-14; 10:7-8).
- Paul (apostle to the Gentiles) re-echoed it in reference to Christ’s teaching (1Corinth.9:1-14;2Corinth.11:7-9; 1 Timothy 5:17,18)
- The tithe (tenth) is the ‘floor’, not the ‘ceiling’
“God doesn’t need us to give Him our money. He owns everything. Tithing is God’s way to grow Christians”– Rogers.
P.3The Tested Plenitude from Sowing Righteously
Deut. 26:1,2,12-15; Prov. 3:9,10; Malachi 3:6,10-12,16-18; Haggai 2:1-9; 2 Corinth. 8:1-15
Obedience to God’s commands on giving brings blessings:
- God opens His bounty to the obedient and curses the disobedient
- Obedience is a mark of appreciation for the power God gives you to make wealth
- It is a sign of consecration, acknowledgement of divine ownership
- Obedience distinguishes the faithful from the unfaithful stewards
“God has given us two hands – one to receive with and the other to give with. We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for sharing” – Graham.