Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, II Corinthians 9:10 NKJV
It is interesting to think that God not only provides the seeds for us to grow into what He designed us for, He also provides what we need to grow, multiply and increase in fruit.
I realize that Christ put within me everything that I needed. It is only in Him that I am righteous. I am a passive participant in what He put in me, yet unlike the seed I have the ability to cultivate what He placed inside of me. I can feed my Spirit with the substance of the Bread of Life. I choose what I feed on, Christ supplies bread, but sometimes I choose to feed on the trash supplied by the enemy.
Seeds are passive participants in their growth; they have limited ability to change their environment. Yet, dandelion seeds spread and multiply with just a little outside force. Much like the dandelion, it is my responsibility to sow the seed. I have to use what God is placed within me for Him to multiply it and increase it. Seeds don’t grow until they are planted. They might sprout a little in a bag – like potatoes, but growth is limited to the environment. We have to allow the force of the Wind of the Holy Spirit to move our seeds into new environments. We have to get out of our comfort zone and plant the seeds of our life where God called us to plant.
In my own life, I have always felt called to Northwest Arkansas. It is home. Even when I moved away for twelve years, I was drawn to this area. When I thought about serving, it was here. This is where God called me to plant my seeds. I am not responsible for the growth in others’ seeds. That was a really hard lesson for this girl. I like to fix things. I like to complete things. But I am not God, I can not make a seed take root, I can not make it grow and I can not make it increase.
I am only responsible to plant my seeds. It is only the seeds I am planting that God can increase. So what seeds am I responsible to be planting?
I am responsible for planting the seeds of my tithe and offerings.
I am responsible for planning seeds of good deeds. Proverbs 11:30 The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.
I am responsible for not planting seeds of strife and gossip. Proverbs 16:28 A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.
I am responsible for planting the seed of hard work. Ecclesiastes 11:6 Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
I am responsible for planting seeds of righteousness (Right standing with God) Hosea 10:12 I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’
I am responsible for planting seeds of faith. Matthew 17:20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
I am responsible for planting the seed of God’s Word – in my life and in the life of others. Luke 8:11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.
I am responsible for planting my seeds generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
I am responsible for planting seeds of peace. James 3:18 And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.
The seeds I plant are in my own life, in the life of fellow believers and in the life of the world around me. Yes, there will be times that I am called to plant a seed into the ministry of a missionary or evangelist, but for the most part God expects my seeds to be planted where He has placed me. My seeds will reach people other’s won’t. If I plant the seeds, God is responsible for increasing the fruits in my life.
This blog is part of a #Write31Days series on growth. 31 Days is an online writing challenge, where bloggers pick one topic and write a post on that topic every day.
Restoring Voice 