Our cupboards were never empty, nor our fridge bare for the lack of food and drink, God has never forsaken me when planting "seeds" into his kingdom.
You have got to be asking yourselves as Christians (Born Again), "What da heck is going on in this world"! Surely one would be reminded that when "we" were growing up, the world was much different than todays era! There is one thing I noticed about in my life growing up and now hitting my sixties, "I was young and now I am old and I never seen the righteous forsaken, neither his seed begging for bread"!
All my life I had really been blessed by God! Some would question me that personally know me, how can I be blessed when I was nearly killed five or so years ago or had at least three bumper collisions on my back in 17 years of driving causing whiplash each time? The point is, I am alive to write about it. The Lord never promised us rainbows and cotton candy all our lives. But he Jesus, did promise us we would go through various trials and tribulations. while living on planet earth.
You can say, "Well sinners get tribulation and are persecuted also!" This would be correct! But their end is "Eternal Separation" from God Almighty! Ours is but for a moment of time in the short seventy to eighty years, measured against eternity! I went through trials and very unusual situations where people wanted to see me fired or they would harass me to no end because I was a Christian. No one is immune from God's rod of correction. "Spare the Rod and Spoil the Child"!
One thing Christians can look forward too is, chastisement of the Lord. For whom the Lord loves, he chastises or rebukes! Your earthly dad wouldn't do no less if he is a God fearing man.
When Jesus first excepts you into his kingdom, he will in time, chastise you as a loving father, if you try to continue down the same path when you were a sinner. For he chastises those he loves, if not, we would be bastards (fatherless children). You don't want to purposely do something you know in your heart is a sin, because Jesus promised to use the "Rod of Correction" on your soul to get your attention and trust me it's not fun!
It wasn't fun when your dad would come home and have to punish you by spanking you with his hand or with his belt. The fear of waiting it to happen sometimes felt worse then the actual punishment at the moment. Jesus does this to keep the saints in line. We can sometimes be very stubborn in our flesh. But if we, his saints are being judge while alive, where will the sinner and ungodly appear once they die, having not been punished while alive and allowing them to do their own "will"?
Jesus said, I chastise those I love! Many of us wonder why "sinners" seem to have all the money and power and physical boy toys and sometimes it seems they have nothing to be sorrowful about. You look at yourselves and compare your situation with your neighbors or associates you know, and you wonder, why am I always struggling just to stay a float and I am a Christian!
The Lord said, "If ye have faith the size of a mustard seed, ye shall say to this mountain and by thou removed and be thou cast in the sea and if he doubts not in his heart but believes what he said will come to past, it shall be granted to him"!
There could be a variety of reasons why a Christian isn't prosperous and the sinner next door to him is. One thing I learned early when I was saved and gave my heart to Jesus was, some passages in the Proverbs such as: "He that scatters, shall increase but he that withholds more than he needs tends to poverty"! This isn't a symbolic gesture from the scriptures, it is actually a "law" that can reciprocate over and over again.
So, what is the English meaning to this? God is talking about a "Seed" of yourselves, and whatever you do is planting a "Seed" of yourself abroad, like helping your neighbors, lending to the poor. The seed not planted according to God can do nothing on its own except it be planted in the ground and it must (die) before it can reproduce fruit of itself! Jesus was God the Fathers best "seed" and the harvest was billions of saved born again Christians who believe on his name.
But the person who accumulates lot's of wealth and doesn't help the needy of no fault of their own, it maybe just hard times in general, this man or woman who stores or hoards their treasure up letting the poor starve or suffer will eventually lose all of it! Why? Because God is a God of love and his "laws" are just! You say you have faith, God said, "Prove it"! How? By your works! Talk is cheap with the Lord it is what comes forth from your actions and motives that God sees and rewards!
On earth we have laws that govern society and nature has laws that govern from God's sovereign will like the law of gravity etc. But we also have "Laws" that govern "Giving" in the Bible for Christians to follow in order to be blessed.
What is this "Seed" we are talking about? In the kingdom of Jesus Christ everything we do begins with a "Seed". It could be a singular thought, an action, a smile, or it could be an angered look, beady eye looks, gossiping. Why does Jesus call it a "Seed"? Because whatever we do on earth is multiply by God in heaven and manifested in the lives of those who committed such actions."For God is not Mocked; "Whatsoever" a man "sows" that shall he reap!" This is the same "law" we are talking about above about "seeding"!
Everything God created with plants and animals all bared "Seeds" before full maturity took place! When we give to the poor, the Lord states you are "lending" it to God and God will repay you back! Also, in the book of Proverbs. "Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back to you"! Meaning, whatever you give, whether a smile and angry looks or a helping hand (waters-people), God will multiply that in your own lives, some thirty fold, some sixty fold and some hundred fold! (Good and Bad) Returns!
If you are not sure I write the truth, just type into your browsers what I am saying and it will give you the scripture to meditate upon. I don't want to make it totally easy for you, the bible declares, "Study and show thyself approved unto God that a workman need not to be ashamed and can rightly divide the word of truth and that he can answer every man or (woman), (I added this to make a point that both man and women should be studying the scriptures) their own questions (about salvation and biblical living).
Graduating in 1977 was a special year for me, even though unemployment was just as bad as it is now, maybe worse now then in 1977. But without money in any of these era's it still can hurt!
When I was around 18 years old and on my own, the place I slept was depending where my car was parked! I didn't want to go back home, so I would rather sleep in my car then to have to admit defeat that I couldn't be a man and survive the elements. I did! I got a real bed to sleep in when I joined the Air Force in 1979. In the 1977-1979 jobs were really bad in the civilian world at the time. What employment one could get, the pay was very little to nothing. While still being on my own, I had learned about "seed faith" that was giving the way God commanded us, his way of doing things.
Seed faith is, starting an idea and then putting the idea into action! But it doesn't start and end there! There is where the Lord comes in and takes over. After I "Planted" the seed, I had to wait on the Lord! For he said, those who planted (good) seed reaped some thirty and some sixty and some one hundred fold! But do you know those who plant "bad" seeds reap the same rewards but it's not good! For God is not mocked for whatsoever a man sows that shall he reap! (Good or Bad).
THIS IS THE BOOK THAT GOT ME STARTED YEARS AGO!
He was using the "word" as one of the examples of planting a "Seed" in this case the "Word" of God was the "seed" and by acting upon it, you are planting it in good soil (life) and waiting for the miracle harvest as promised by Jehovah himself. As long as the earth remains, so shall seed time and harvest, winter and fall, spring and summer will remain!
Oral Roberts practiced what he taught us from the Word of God! Every one hundred page book he sent me for free became a "Seed" for him to plant as it would help him bring people unto God and we all know it takes money!
I was just a young adult full fire and love for the Lord and there was no one to teach me except Oral Roberts when he was alive back then during his tent ministries and what I read from the Bible on my own. He would send me free books all the time! I had about twenty of them. He sent me a book called, "Seed Faith"!
It was a paperback book a large one, your typical book size. I will tell you, I must have read that book a thousand times over. How could something be so simple not taught in any church. I went over the scriptures of giving all throughout the Bible that he pointed out in his book for me to see for myself.
MY TANK ON MY 283 POLARA BELOW EMPTY
The more I read, the more my faith increased and my curiosity! One day I had no money, everyone knows what that was like in their young lives starting out. I manage to scrape up about $5.00 in cash and I wanted to purchase some snowball cupcakes, how I loved them! Just before handing over the cash, something deep inside me told me, no! Keep your money for now! So I looked at the lady smiled took back the snowball and left the store. I shoved the $5.00 in my pocket.
It's not every day God will give someone a vivid vision in the middle of the day while walking down a seven mile stretch of highway in the high 80's and the heat from the tar highway would just zap the life out of you...
I was walking down a 7 mile stretch on the highway just thinking about Jesus. Then a vision appeared very quick and I saw the image of Jesus planting his seeds in rich black soil. Then some of those seeds turned into $ signs falling deep into the earth. When I got to my car I looked up the address to ORU in Oklahoma from one of my books and since I didn't have a church, I sent the $5 cash to ORU in an envelope. I felt such a huge relief and I was really happy for the first time in my life and excited knowing what God promised to do for me.
I gave something of myself; a small "sacrifice", call it what you will, but it was a part of me just the same. Money I couldn't afford to give to anyone let alone be able to purchase a snowball. But I wrote to the reverent and gave the cash. After mailing it, I had this excitement run through my body. What was that! Oh Well! Within two weeks I applied and got a job being a waiter and cashier. I really like my regular customers over the weeks, so I decided to keep this job for more than two weeks.
I got my first paycheck it wasn't much and the Lord spoke to my ear once again, "Give and it shall be given unto you, good measures, pressed down and shaken together shall men give into your bosom, for what you plant, it shall be multiplied again unto you." So I took $20.00 from my pay and planted the "seed" a small amount; of which I so badly needed "money" and mailed it out. I went to work pretty down because I was low on cash and I was not making enough money to keep gas in my car.
The thing is, when the "seed" is planted in faith by you, you have to wait upon God for the harvest, like the farmer awaits upon nature to harvest his fields. The farmer knowingly or unknowingly has to rely on God for the food on his table. The crops he is blessed with becomes money to put food on his table.
It wasn't two weeks after planting both seeds, I came into work and it was a good day to start out with. I had people finish their dinners and come up to me to give me $3-$5 in tips (all of them). By the end of the evening I had both pockets stuffed with coins and cash! I cleared over one hundred dollars over both female and male waiters on the floor unheard of in the 70's being a busboy. The next evening I came to work and I was accused by the waiters and waitresses that I was taking their tips off the table!
So they stuck me behind the cash register all day and one customer asked me why I was behind the register and I told them, he said, wait a minute he came back and gave $4 in tips and he spoke to several other customers on his way out. When our crowd left I had over $200 in tips in less than eight hours. Now I was accused of stealing from the cash register, so the manager kept me their and counted all the monies and tallied the tape and guess what, every dime was accounted for!
It was God who was multiplying my financial seed sown into a small ministry ORU. I couldn't lose no matter where they put me. Money was coming in from everywhere. I wasn't rich but that $25.00 I given almost over a month back to ORU; multiplied some sixty fold! I wanted and expected one hundred fold but I was still happy for what I received overall.
Up to this point in my young life, I never once questioned God on my miracle harvest returns, they always came on time! God is never late, ever!
The more I gave out of my profits the more it multiplied. I was curious, what if I gave a larger amount but I knew and understood, it has to come from a sacrificial giving. So, I wasn't sure what to do and I wrote Reverent Roberts and asked him, he told me giving from the heart where it seems to hurt no matter what seed you plant is in fact a sacrificial seed in God's sight along with "cheerfulness" for God loves a "cheerful" giver"! I prayed and I open my wallet, I had $20.00 left for gas and I didn't get paid until another week.
This must be what the Reverent explained to me but the strange thing in the letter, he told me to give to the poor in my local area instead of me sending it to ORU, he told me, this will prove to you that it's not just a certain ministry that only God blesses you through; it can be any ministry even in your local area. But he re-emphazied it must come from your heart, not just your wallet. I knew of a church in my home town who gave groceries to the poor. I went down to the food closet and I took that $20 I had for gas for the whole week.
THE LITTLE BOY AND FIVE LOAFS AND TWO FISH TO FEED FIVE THOUSAND HUNGRY MEN AND WOMAN AND CHILDREN. HE GAVE IT TO OUR GOD AND SAVIOR JESUS THE CHRIST! HE, JESUS MULTIPLIED THOSE FISH AND BREAD TO FEED AN ARMY. LATER HE TOLD THE DISCIPLES GATHER UP THE FRAGMENTS THAT NONE BE LOST. WHAT DO YOU THINK HE DID WITH THOSE FRAGMENTS? GAVE IT BACK TO THE LITTLE BOY WHO SOWED a seed into God's kingdom!
I gave it to the Food Closet and they happily thanked me! But that didn't fill up my gas tank or have enough for food to eat. You see the devil knows God's financial secrets for his people and his job is to twist up its meaning or make you feel you screwed up royally. But I had to do this to prove to myself that God is true to his word. So, if I had to walk to work, then so be it. I had a quarter tank of gas, driving a 383-8 cylinder Dodge Polara, this was a big gas guzzler and I had to travel round trip some 30-40 miles a day.
I like to call the next paragraph my quarter tank miracle harvest from planting of my seeds. I also kept a written diary every time I gave to the Lord and always wrote down when I was blessed and how much, if a value could be added to it.
Do you know what! That quarter tank lasted me the whole week! The day I pulled up to the gas station it was bone dry on fumes, from start to fill up! No my gas gauge wasn't broke it work perfectly fine. But here is the thing, this was all new to me as a young Christian in Christ. No one ever taught such a thing to me growing up. I was proving God, I was practicing his "word"! God was just being faithful who promised.
Everything that happened to me giving to worthy causes, to the poor, to the church or give a smile, help out, praying for someone no matter the "seed" of faith, if you are patient God will grow it some thirty, some sixty, some hundred fold! His word teaches us how to get out of debt God's way, not mans way!
KEEP THE "WHATEVER" YOU SOW! AND REPLACE THE "WHATEVER" WITH ANYTHING YOU DO FOR GOD AND HIS CHRIST VIA GIVING TO THE POOR, HELPING A NEIGHBOR OUT ETC. WHAT DOES THE WORD "REAP" MEAN? HARVEST! HARVEST OF WHAT? OF WHAT YOU SOWED! WHAT DID YOU SOW? WHATEVER!
My wife and I to this day, we constantly plant our monthly "seeds" (financial) to Israel's poor and needy. We love Jerusalem! It's the apple of God's eye! For 17 years we never had empty cupboards and the fridge was always full and our bills always paid on time! The Lord kept our credit high and driving a leased new vehicle every 3 years! But more than anything, we are saved through Jesus Christ his Son!
My diary of seed giving was never empty of the miracles that God performed in my daily life! I couldn't think of one moment of not giving to the Lord! How could I survive otherwise?
But you have to pray for wisdom, not all evangelists are Godly. Most today are in it for the millions they can get from you! They psychologically make the Lord into an ATM machine. This is not what God said in his word. If you plant your "seed" in faith believing God will multiply it as he wills, be careful what type of soil (place) you are planting such a seed. If the soil is bad and the seed becomes dry, the seed will root and eventually die before producing offspring for the lack of moisture.
It matters to the Lord where it is planted; to produce the biggest harvest, not just for yourself but where you planted it. Just pray for wisdom and guidance before planting your sacrificial "seed of faith"! Don't try to fool the Lord and test him in this because he already knows everything about you anyways. Did you know that Jesus Christ was God's sacrificial seed of faith to the world! the Bible declares this.
THERE IS ONE THAT SCATTERS "YET INCREASES" (HARVEST) AND THERE IS ONE THAT WITH HOLDS MORE THAN HE NEEDS AND HE REAPS THE HARVEST OF POVERTY.
Jesus said to his disciples a seed must die before it can reproduce! This single truth explains what happen to me when I gave of myself in the form of cash or praying for someone or anything I did for the Lord and he takes this seed and blesses the person you intended to help and then he multiplies that seed back to you, some thirty, some sixty and some hundred fold! Don't believe this, then read the old and New Testament about giving to the Lord, especially in Proverbs and in the New Testament writings!
God tells us over and over again if you want to be blessed then bless someone with the same needs you have!
Proverbs 11:24: The desire of the righteous is only good, But the expectation of the wicked is wrath. There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered.…
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and prove me, see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, So that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Jesus, when he points something out that to you or I if being there would consider trivial, but the Lord pays attention to the insignificant cheerful giver to humanity by planting in God's kingdom!
The above is another example of how God will bless you when you
"Give"! If you say it's a sin to give and to expect back from God, then you are in error for your erroneous teachings! Read the above scriptures, God is the same yesterday and today and forever! He changes not! In the above scripture, Jesus is watching you when you give to the treasury house of God! He, Jesus is not seeing how much you are giving but if your giving from a sacrificial heart.
DON'T GET TOO WRINKLED OVER THIS IMAGE! GOD MEANS WHAT HE SAYS AND SAYS WHAT HE MEANS! GOD SAID, I CHANGE NOT! HE KNOWS IT TAKES MONEY TO LIVE, NOT TO PURCHASED MILLION DOLLAR HOMES! BUT HE KNOWS AND PROMISES THAT IF YOU GIVE TO HIS KINGDOM YOUR BARN WILL BE FILLED WITH PLENTY AND VATS RUNNING OVER WITH "NEW" WINE! WINE WAS EXPENSIVE BACK THEN AND ONLY THE RICH COULD HAVE IT, THE "NEW" WINE!
She the poor widow, believed God would take care of her and Jesus noticed! So the law of sowing and reaping will take place in her life but the sowing really starts in the heart. What do you think Jesus would give to her, some sixty, some thirty and some hundredfold in return? Did she give out of her abundance, just a few dollars? Or did she gave all that she had out of the sacrifice from her heart?
Are you beginning to understand the spiritual law of giving, God's perfect economy!
To some who are fortunate enough to read this, they will finally have a way to prosper financially in God's way of doing things! You tried your way and it doesn't work! God's way is tax free!
No strings attached! No interest to repay back, but only Love!
When you plant (bad seeds) such as, "gossiping" about someone, "being a racist", "hurting people because you can", "withholding more than your wages and not helping the poor and truly needy. All this will bring a "harvest" of some kind to you, from "Gods" sowing and reaping laws!
Always in the Bible the word of God has duality in meaning for both physical and spiritual knowledge and then goes beyond that...
All of the above, the list can go on and usually does from day to day people acting as such! Remembering this: "For God is not mocked! Whatsoever! a man or (woman) sows (seeds of love, money or hate) that shall they reap"! Believe me my brothers and sisters it is no fun when that harvest comes to past from a "bad" seed planted by "you", and it will! You can say God is mean or why is he punishing you so hard; when in fact; it was the seeds you planted that became the harvest of harbingers in your life from your past sinful ways!
JESUS WAS GOD'S BEST "SEED" HE COULD GIVE HOPING WHEN HE DIED, (FOR A SEED ACCORDING TO JESUS MUST DIE FIRST BEFORE IT CAN REPRODUCE) HIS DEATH WOULD BRING IN A "NEW HARVEST" OF SOULS INTO HEAVEN WITH HIM. THE RESURRECTION WAS GOD'S MIRACLE HARVEST A HUNDRED FOLD.
This sowing and reaping law in the Bible goes for spiritual as well and physical! The meaning isn't tied down to only a spiritual meaning! Duality is in the word of God. I can proudly say with no uncertainty, the Lord is my helper in the time of trouble and whatever I plant he (God) Jesus Christ will grow it some thirty, some sixty, some hundred fold, it's a promise of the scriptures. There are many other such laws for God's people to prosper in using them.
With the knowledge explosion on the web you can instantly find these jewels of promises. Nobody needs to wait until you die to have your rewards while on earth, God wants to bless all of you but he expects everyone to know his word and the instructions of such planting of seeds, no matter what you plant and where you plant it.
The key formula in "seeding" into God's kingdom is not how much but how big your heart is and how pure your motives are and how small of faith you have when planting such a small trivial "Seed" into God's kingdom.
Keep in mind, Jesus looks at the heart (motives) of what you are giving! He watched the wealthy give of their wealth and he also watched a poor widow drop in two mites (all that she had in the world) into the synagogs treasury. Her sacrificial giving became a story to untold billions over the centuries! Also it was part of her reward, her harvest!
Jesus said, "Look everyone; you all gave from your abundance (there was no sacrificial giving on their part), but this woman gave two mites all that she had, she gave more than all of you!" If you read the word of God whatever she plants she will get a earthly and spiritual award only multiplied! "
Giving " is the most powerful action in God's universe and the fuel to get it started is your "Motives" and your "Actions" (planting)! You first have to know why you are giving it, to whom you are supporting in this giving and lastly do you believe God when he says, "He who gives to the poor lends unto the Lord and the Lord shall repay him or her back".
In Malachi, God mentions tithing, he said, "Prove me now" says God if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing where there would not be enough room to receive it all! God said, I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and bless the fruits of your ground says God!
Lastly, examine your "motives" please! God knows your hearts and if you give with doubt in your heart you will get multiplied back that same doubt on up to a hundred fold return! Jesus said, "Give with Cheerfulness, for God loves a cheerful giver"! This should tell it all! If you give grudgingly and it's not from a sacrificial heart, just keep your money in your pants! Better to give nothing; then to reap a hundred fold of bad returns into your lives.
Here's the thing about that, it is never too late to help God's people who are in true need, like the hurricane victims, this would be the place to start. Or your local food shelves etc. When you give as a sacrificial seed in faith it must come from your heart and it must be a personal sacrifice, meaning you don't expect that person or ministry to give back to you, you are giving unto the Lord, you are Lending unto the Lord. The Lord shall repay you back!
The "hows" and the "whens" are up to God Almighty! That is his domain, not ours to deal with. You are now a planter and soon you will become the harvester of many good things to come.
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