It is springtime and that means it is either time or nearly time to sow seed in much of the country. As farmers prepare the soil and begin to plant, there is spiritual application in this too.
What will you sow this week? This month? This year?
We all must be busy do not be busy sowing the wrong seed.
Jesus spoke a parable to his disciples about sowing seed in Matthew 13:
“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” (Matthew 13:3-9)
The seed is the gospel in this parable. Will you be sowing the good seed of the good news of Jesus Christ? Just like happens in farming, not all seed will grow or bear fruit, but still we must sow the seed. Also like it is in farming, we spend more time sowing seed than we do harvesting fruit sometimes, but still we must be sowers of the seed.
Paul said to the church at Corinth: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-9)
This is a good work to be in, and all God’s people need to be in it, but remember God is the one who gives the increase. We sow the seed, we preach the gospel, we witness, we tell others of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection….but we cannot save. Salvation is all of God.
As God’s people, every one of us has something to do here. Let us not sit idly by. God did not save us to sit on the sidelines. Jesus is not merely a fire escape. We are not to be benchwarmers!
But there is something worse than being still. That is being busy in the wrong work. The older I get the more I think about this. We can be sowing the wrong seed.
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16–19, KJV)
To sow is to spread. To continue with the illustrration of the farmer, when he goes out in the field to sow seeds in the garden, he is spreading something.
Discord is very simply “a failure to be of one mind.” Commenting on this passage, Matthew Henry says, “The God of love and peace hates him that sows discord among brethren, for he delights in concord. Those that by tale-bearing and slandering, by carrying ill-natured stories, aggravating every thing that is said and done, and suggesting jealousies and evil surmises, blow the coals of contention, are but preparing for themselves a fire of the same nature.”
“Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.” (1 Timothy 3:11)
Whether you interpret this to be the wives of deacons, the wives of pastors and the wives of deacons, or women in general, it is of interest that the Greek word used for slanderer is diabolos, from where we get our word for Devil. He uses the same word again in Titus 2:3 where the word is translated as false accusers. A very fitting use of the word since Satan is the “accuser of the brethren.” (Revelation 12:10).
The tongue can be used for the glory of God, or it can be used for the work of Satan. Which will it be? It can build up and encourage a family, a church….or it can break them down. The words you speak can further the cause of God and truth, or it can help the cause of Satan. You can bring God’s people together with your speech, or you can drive them apart.
Yes, dear Christian, you are either busy in the Lord’s Work as you sow the gospel seed, or you are idle, or you are busy in the Devil’s work sowing discord. Which will it be??
Let’s be busy with the Lord’s work. Let us be careful how we use our time and our tongues….and in this age of social media, let us be careful how we use our keyboards. Make the day count. Who can know whether we will have another day to get it right?