A Brief Devotional Reflection
Sowing Good Seed
In a very real sense, life is about sowing and reaping. In Galatians 6:7 we read, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” The passage then talks about sowing to the flesh and sowing to the spirit. And in II Corinthians 9:6 we read that, “He who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully.” In other words, you reap what you sow. In light of that, here’s some food for thought:
1. Christ has given us seed to sow. A Michigan farmer once told me that if you keep the seed to yourself, over time it will rot. Seed needs to be planted.
2. When seed is sown, Christ causes it to come to life and grow. As the farmer explained, farmers don’t grow crops; rather they plant seed and harvest crops.
3. Unless we sow seed we can’t expect a harvest! The seeds you plant become your life story.
What are the seeds and how do we plant them? In Christ’s parable in Matthew 13 the seed is the word of God. In a sense we plant the seed by living out the truth of God’s word in our daily lives. We plant seed by our acts, our attitudes, and our words.
What kind of seed are we planting? That will determine what we reap: others’ acts toward us; others’ attitudes toward us; and others words spoken to us and about us. We also reap eternal reward, Christ’s, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
Publishing Books Is Sowing Seed
For years many of my stories were stored in a seed bin, a big rubber storage tub. I eventually decided that if I did not publish them they would rot! The stories only reap a harvest if planted, if they are published and read.
I trust that my stories are good seed, that they have present and enduring value for the reader. But when it comes to stories, there is good seed and there is bad seed. Sadly, I have read stories that sowed only bad seed—nothing of present or enduring value about them. I make every effort to develop and plant good seed. I plant it, but God causes the seed to grow and produce a harvest in the hearts and minds of my readers. I count it a privilege to be an author-farmer.
Which of my stories come to mind when I think of good seed? Acceptable Fruit (an anthology of short stories illustrating the fruit of the Spirit), Tales of a Church Mouse (stories about church related situations observed and commented on by a mouse), and Unlikely Heroes (deals with impairments some people face day to day). But in reality, all of my books plant good seed in the minds and hearts of the readers.
Unlikely Heroes just came out in paperback after a fresh rewrite. It has been available for Kindle for some time, and the changes made since that publication are minimal.
I look forward to your comments.
Leave a Reply