A Time to Sow: Part 2Sample

The Harvest Depends on the Seeds

Seeds are intentionally planted for the harvest the farmer desires. A farmer doesn’t plant strawberry seeds expecting them to produce corn. Our lives are similar. We can’t harbor feelings of hate and deceit and anticipate our spiritual gardens to produce love, peace, and righteousness. Even the internal seeds we plant can sprout as weeds to harm what God has for our lives. It’s our responsibility to be obedient to God and plant seeds that will yield the harvest He intended.

To plant seeds that will nurture the calling we have in our lives, we have to spend time with the source. In order to “sow righteousness” and to reap “unfailing love,” Hosea encourages us to “seek the Lord” (Hosea 10:12). Seeking the Lord should be constant in our lives – in the moments of brokenness, during times of inspiration, and when life feels mundane.

Galatians 5:22 to 23 describes what it means to be like Christ. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” It goes on to say in verse 24 that “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.” The more time we spend with Jesus, the more we become like Him. The more we learn from His example of how to plant seeds of peace and self-control, the more we can sow seeds that plant a harvest according to His will. James 3:18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”

To be like Christ and to yield a plentiful harvest means we also must be willing to sacrifice our personal desires. Galatians 6:8 says, “Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Being like Jesus not only means that we need to sow seeds of life, it also requires us to weed out anything (internally and externally) that could suffocate the healthy harvest.

Whether we are in a season of life where we have everything figured out or we are in the waiting, we need to continue to sow seeds that are for Christ’s gain and not our own. Be sure to regularly evaluate the internal and external seeds that are being sown. What seeds are you sowing today that will contribute to what God has for you?