The Seed Must Lead
By Joel Osteen
One of the main hindrances to living your best life now is selfishness. As long as you are focused on what you want, what you need, you will never experience God’s best. But if you really want to thrive, you must learn to be a giver. The Scripture says, “Whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap.” All through the Bible, we find the principle of sowing and reaping. Just as a farmer must plant some seed if he hopes to reap the harvest, we, too, must plant some good seed in the fields of our families, careers, businesses, and personal relationships.
FAMINE IN THE LAND
Maybe you are in some sort of famine today. It could be a financial famine; or maybe you’re simply famished for friends, it’s possible you need a physical healing. Perhaps you need peace in your home. Whatever the need, one of the best things you can do is to get your mind off yourself and help meet somebody else’s need. If you’re down and discouraged today, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Go find somebody to cheer up. Sow some seeds of happiness. That’s the way to receive a harvest. The seed always has to lead.
When you meet other people’s needs, God has promised that He will make sure your needs are supplied. If you want to see healing and restoration come to your life, go out and help somebody else get well. The Bible says, “In times of difficulty; trust in the Lord and do good.” It’s not enough to say, “God, I trust You. I know You are going to meet all my needs.” That’s tantamount to the farmer not planting any seeds and expecting a fabulous harvest. Scripture says there are two things we must do in times of trouble. First, we must trust in the Lord: and second, we must go out and do something good. Go out and sow some seeds. If you need a financial miracle, go buy somebody a cup of coffee tomorrow morning, or give a little extra in the offering at church.
Plant Some Seed
In the time of need, sow a seed. An intriguing Scripture verse says, “It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.” Daddy understood that if he generously took care of others. God would take care of his own needs. The same goes for you. If you will focus on giving generously to others, God will make sure your own life is refreshed, even if you must go through a dry, dreary wilderness.
Do Something Out of the Ordinary
Learn to stretch your faith. Do something out of the ordinary. If you want an extraordinary harvest, sow an extraordinary seed. Instead of sitting at home watching TV every night, why not spend some of that time doing something good for somebody else? Instead of going out to eat at an expensive restaurant, why not save that money and sow it as a seed? If you normally give 10 percent of your income, stretch your faith a bit and give 11 percent. Get a little more seed in the ground and watch what God will do. The Scripture says, “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” In other words, if you give with a teaspoon, it’s going to he given back to you with a teaspoon. If you give with a shovel, it’s going to be given back with a shovel. And if you give with a dump truck, you’re going to get dump truck loads of blessings in your life!
The Bible clearly says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.” If you re not satisfied with where you are in life, increase the amount of seed you are sowing. The size of your harvest depends on the amount of your seed. Certainly, some people live on limited incomes. It takes everything they have to make it each month. In my heart, I want to tell them, “Just hold on to what you have. You need that money” But I know that God’s principles are true. And I know it is imperative that the people with the greatest need continue to sow
Understand, sowing seed is not a replacement for tithing. In fact, it is usually when you give over and above the first 10 percent of your income that this principle kicks into high gear. The Bible says, “The tithe is the Lord’s. And it is holy” That means the first tenth of your income doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to God and should he given to your local church. When you hold on to it, you’re really robbing from God. So if you are not sowing at all, the tithe is a good place to start!
The Scripture says that when we tithe, God not only opens up the windows of heaven, but He will rebuke the devourer for your sake. That means He’ll keep the enemy off your money, off your crop, off your children, and away from your home. He’ll make sure you get promoted. He’ll cause you to get the best deals in life. Sometimes, He’ll keep you from sickness, accidents, and harm that might cause other unnecessary expenses. All kinds of blessings come your way when you honor God in the area of your finances.
On the other hand, you can’t rob God and expect Him to bless you at the same time. You must realize, God doesn’t need your money or your time or your talent. When God asks us to give, it’s riot because He’s trying to get something from us. No, it’s because He’s trying to get us to put some seed in the ground so we can reap a harvest. God abides by the laws He has established, and if you don’t sow, you will not reap. It’s as simple as that. But if you are faithful and do what God tells you to do, God will honor the law of reaping and sowing. You may not have a lot to give, but God will bless you if you start where you are.
Don’t wait until you have more; start now. That’s the way you will receive more from God. You sow some seed, and then God will bless you with more. Then you can sow a little more seed, and on and on. That’s how you increase. But if you are not being faithful with what you have right now how can God trust you with more?
The Scripture is not ambiguous about this matter. It says, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” If you want to prosper in your finances, put God first. If you want to prosper in your business, put God first. When you honor God, God will always honor you. And it’s interesting, the only place in the Bible where God tells us to prove Him—which means to test Him, or check Him out—is in the area of our finances. If you will be faithful and show God that you’re trustworthy with what you have right now, there’s no limit to what God will do in your life.
One of the main hindrances to living your best life now is selfishness. As long as you are focused on what you want, what you need, you will never experience God’s best. But if you really want to thrive, you must learn to be a giver. The Scripture says, “Whatsoever a man sows, that he will also reap.” All through the Bible, we find the principle of sowing and reaping. Just as a farmer must plant some seed if he hopes to reap the harvest, we, too, must plant some good seed in the fields of our families, careers, businesses, and personal relationships.
FAMINE IN THE LAND
Maybe you are in some sort of famine today. It could be a financial famine; or maybe you’re simply famished for friends, it’s possible you need a physical healing. Perhaps you need peace in your home. Whatever the need, one of the best things you can do is to get your mind off yourself and help meet somebody else’s need. If you’re down and discouraged today, don’t sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Go find somebody to cheer up. Sow some seeds of happiness. That’s the way to receive a harvest. The seed always has to lead.
When you meet other people’s needs, God has promised that He will make sure your needs are supplied. If you want to see healing and restoration come to your life, go out and help somebody else get well. The Bible says, “In times of difficulty; trust in the Lord and do good.” It’s not enough to say, “God, I trust You. I know You are going to meet all my needs.” That’s tantamount to the farmer not planting any seeds and expecting a fabulous harvest. Scripture says there are two things we must do in times of trouble. First, we must trust in the Lord: and second, we must go out and do something good. Go out and sow some seeds. If you need a financial miracle, go buy somebody a cup of coffee tomorrow morning, or give a little extra in the offering at church.
Plant Some Seed
In the time of need, sow a seed. An intriguing Scripture verse says, “It is possible to give away and become richer! It is also possible to hold on too tightly and lose everything. Yes, the liberal man shall be rich! By watering others, he waters himself.” Daddy understood that if he generously took care of others. God would take care of his own needs. The same goes for you. If you will focus on giving generously to others, God will make sure your own life is refreshed, even if you must go through a dry, dreary wilderness.
Do Something Out of the Ordinary
Learn to stretch your faith. Do something out of the ordinary. If you want an extraordinary harvest, sow an extraordinary seed. Instead of sitting at home watching TV every night, why not spend some of that time doing something good for somebody else? Instead of going out to eat at an expensive restaurant, why not save that money and sow it as a seed? If you normally give 10 percent of your income, stretch your faith a bit and give 11 percent. Get a little more seed in the ground and watch what God will do. The Scripture says, “For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” In other words, if you give with a teaspoon, it’s going to he given back to you with a teaspoon. If you give with a shovel, it’s going to be given back with a shovel. And if you give with a dump truck, you’re going to get dump truck loads of blessings in your life!
The Bible clearly says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sow bountifully will reap bountifully.” If you re not satisfied with where you are in life, increase the amount of seed you are sowing. The size of your harvest depends on the amount of your seed. Certainly, some people live on limited incomes. It takes everything they have to make it each month. In my heart, I want to tell them, “Just hold on to what you have. You need that money” But I know that God’s principles are true. And I know it is imperative that the people with the greatest need continue to sow
Understand, sowing seed is not a replacement for tithing. In fact, it is usually when you give over and above the first 10 percent of your income that this principle kicks into high gear. The Bible says, “The tithe is the Lord’s. And it is holy” That means the first tenth of your income doesn’t belong to you. It belongs to God and should he given to your local church. When you hold on to it, you’re really robbing from God. So if you are not sowing at all, the tithe is a good place to start!
The Scripture says that when we tithe, God not only opens up the windows of heaven, but He will rebuke the devourer for your sake. That means He’ll keep the enemy off your money, off your crop, off your children, and away from your home. He’ll make sure you get promoted. He’ll cause you to get the best deals in life. Sometimes, He’ll keep you from sickness, accidents, and harm that might cause other unnecessary expenses. All kinds of blessings come your way when you honor God in the area of your finances.
On the other hand, you can’t rob God and expect Him to bless you at the same time. You must realize, God doesn’t need your money or your time or your talent. When God asks us to give, it’s riot because He’s trying to get something from us. No, it’s because He’s trying to get us to put some seed in the ground so we can reap a harvest. God abides by the laws He has established, and if you don’t sow, you will not reap. It’s as simple as that. But if you are faithful and do what God tells you to do, God will honor the law of reaping and sowing. You may not have a lot to give, but God will bless you if you start where you are.
Don’t wait until you have more; start now. That’s the way you will receive more from God. You sow some seed, and then God will bless you with more. Then you can sow a little more seed, and on and on. That’s how you increase. But if you are not being faithful with what you have right now how can God trust you with more?
The Scripture is not ambiguous about this matter. It says, “In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.” If you want to prosper in your finances, put God first. If you want to prosper in your business, put God first. When you honor God, God will always honor you. And it’s interesting, the only place in the Bible where God tells us to prove Him—which means to test Him, or check Him out—is in the area of our finances. If you will be faithful and show God that you’re trustworthy with what you have right now, there’s no limit to what God will do in your life.
posted by Jowl at
9:30 PM
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