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Sowing and Reaping

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Sowing and Reaping

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Sowing and Reaping

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We are to understand that our choices are real. There are consequences for the decisions we make. You shall reap what you sow. When we talk about “you shall know someone by their fruits”- we are talking about the results of their decisions, their actions, their behavior. In Genesis 3, we are seeing the decision and the results, and it is literally about FRUIT!

Transcript

“Sowing and Reaping” Chris Shude FREELAND: ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ 2-12-22     

We find in Luke 6 a sermon from Jesus- while it is easy to think that this is a parallel account of the Sermon on the Mount that we find in Matthew 5-7, this may have been another occasion in another location.  Just like today where a speaker may give the same basic message in different congregations, Jesus may have given similar sermons in different areas.  Nothing wrong with either view, and it makes sense either way—in any case, let’s break in at a thought that Christ presents starting in verse 43…. Luke 6:43:

43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil [i]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

So often, we want to turn this outward- to look at OTHERS, to look at the fruit that others bear.  We very easily pick up on the faults of others, the ways they behave, to make judgements on the fruits that they have in their lives.  How often do you turn the mirror on yourself?  Have you considered the fruit in your life?  Have you considered the TREE from which this fruit comes?

Today, my aim is to show you from God’s Word that the following things are true:  FIRST:  Your life is perfectly designed to give you the results you get and SECOND: Life is the sum of all of your choices.  Then, we will look at how these understandings can help us to build better lives to serve God and each other.

Let’s tackle the second point first:  “Life is the sum of all your choices.”  This is a thought that is attributed to the French philosopher Albert Camus.  However, anyone who ever took the time to think at their own life- or someone else’s, for that matter- could come to this conclusion on their own.  This is one of the self-evident truths of life.  It holds true for individuals, families, businesses, and nations.

But what does Scripture show us?  It shows us two key principles that underlie this idea that your life is the sum of all your choices.  Let’s go to Genesis 3 where we see these principles laid out for the first time.  We are all familiar with the story- After God had created the heavens and the earth, He created the first man, Adam, and placed him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.  And then God gave Adam a very specific instruction- this is Genesis 2:16:

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you[f] shall surely die.”

Now let’s notice something very important here- there is a terrible false teaching that is rampant in the world regarding predestination- an idea that EVERYTHING in your life has already been predetermined by God.  If that is true, then verse 16 makes no sense whatsoever.  Let’s examine why that would be the case—

If predestination were true in the sense that everything has already been predetermined by God, He wouldn’t bother to say anything about the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  There wouldn’t have been any point to it.  Why say anything at all?  In fact, if this were true, that God had predetermined everything that would happen in everyone’s life, then there would be no purpose to God’s Word!  It wouldn’t matter what it said, it wouldn’t matter what we might learn from it- because God would have already determined everything in advance!  To take the logic to its end, there would be NO PURPOSE TO OUR LIFE if everything was predetermined.  We would be like programmed machines.

Here’s another facet to consider:  If God predetermined everything, then we have a BIG problem here.  Do you see it?  You are faced with one of the two following scenarios:  Either God predetermined, being the AUTHOR, the INSTIGATOR, the CAUSE of Adam and Eve’s sin…. OR eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil wasn’t a sin!  If you believe that God pre-ordained everything in everyone’s life, then it MUST be one of these scenarios!!  You see, if you believe that everything that you do in your life has been determined by God, and you commit sin—and we ALL do—then you are saying that GOD is the author of the sin! 

This is ridiculous-  God is not the Author or the Source of sin.  James 1:16-17 tells us:  16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.  God is not the author of sin—He is the Father of lights- PURE.  NO EXCEPTIONS.

What are we to make of this?  We are to understand that our choices are real.  They are not predetermined in advance by the Creator.  We have what is called “free moral agency”- Moral agency is an individual's ability to make moral judgments based on some notion of right and wrong and to be held accountable for these actions. A moral agent is "a being who is capable of acting with reference to right and wrong."

In Genesis 3, God had told them what was right, and what was wrong.  “Don’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil!  Eat from all of the other trees, but don’t eat that one!”  But we see that Eve first, then Adam, exercised their moral agency, given to them by God- by making a decision.  They took it upon themselves to make the choice to eat from that tree.  According to the definition of moral agency, it is not only the ability to make a decision—it is also to be held accountable for their decision.  That there are CONSEQUENCES for the decisions that we make. 

So what are we seeing?  What is the picture that is coming into focus?  We are seeing the principle “You shall reap what you sow” in action.  And let’s notice the powerful symbolism at work.  When we talk about “you shall know someone by their fruits”- we are talking about the results of their decisions, their actions, their behavior.  In Genesis 3, we are seeing the decision and the results, and it is literally about FRUIT!

The decision that our first parents made has had lasting results- lasting fruit- that we reap to this day.  God told them that life would be difficult, and that death would be at the end.  What God also makes very clear to Adam and Eve, and by extension, to us, is that our decisions have consequences, and we must OWN our decisions.

What does this mean?  It means that EXCUSES do not work with God.  Let’s go to Romans 1.  In the first part of the letter to the Roman church, Paul shows that God brings consequences on ungodliness and unrighteousness—let’s pick up in Romans 1:18---

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 

Here is how the New Living Translation puts it:

18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.[i19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 

What we have here is a group of people who are making CHOICES- they are making the choice to suppress the truth in unrighteousness.  Let’s note something that is very interesting here- Paul is referring to a specific group of people here.  Verse 19 tells us that these are people who KNOW THE TRUTH about God.  These aren’t people suppressing the truth out of ignorance.  These are people who KNOW the truth- and then they are willingly suppressing it.  They are taking actions against the truth, they are sowing seeds.  What these seeds will grow to be is a harvest of God’s wrath.  Continuing on:

20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and [g]Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

“so that they are without excuse” – God has shown His power, His Sovereignty over all of Creation, and as we read before, these people CHOSE to suppress this understanding in themselves and in others.  They are, then, WITHOUT EXCUSE.  They KNEW what they were doing!  Paul goes on to say some more about how these people reaped the consequences of their actions, but I want to focus on the fact that they were WITHOUT EXCUSE.

Let’s go back to Genesis 3- we’ll start in verse 9.  I find this passage interesting in that Adam and Eve think that they can hide from God- and God actually plays along!  He already knew everything that had happened.  You’re not going to hide anything from God!  But He plays along- He’s going to see how Adam and Eve handle themselves.  Verse 9:

Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

When Adam and Eve were caught in their sin, what did they do?  They did not confess, they did not repent- at least not at this moment.  What they did was to come up with EXCUSES.  Adam blames Eve and God Himself: “Hey, I wouldn’t have done this if you hadn’t put this woman with me!”  Eve blames the serpent.  God doesn’t buy the excuses, and they are banished from the Garden of Eden.  What do we need to learn here?  That we OWN OUR DECISIONS, OUR ACTIONS, OUR CONSEQUENCES.

Adam and Eve had plenty of excuses for their sin- but did they actually do all that they could to avoid the sin in the first place?  Could Eve have walked away from the serpent and not listened?  Could she have gone to Adam to talk about these things, and to talk it over with God?  Certainly!  But she didn’t do those things.  Could Adam have refused to also eat of the fruit that Eve brought to him?  Of course!  They made their decisions, they took their actions, and they experienced the consequences.

Brethren, EVERYONE is “without excuse”.  If there is ONE concept that I want you to remember from this message, it is this:  EVERYTHING IN YOUR LIFE IS YOUR OWN FAULT.  You must own ALL of it, the good AND the bad.  Our human nature wants to take the credit for the good things that happen, and we look to blame others, or circumstances, or anything else for when something goes wrong in our lives.  I’m sure the people that Paul was writing about in Romans 1 had plenty of excuses in their minds for why they were the way they were, to justify what they were doing, what they were teaching—but God wasn’t having any of it.  They were WITHOUT EXCUSE.

And for you—and for me: No matter where you are in life, no matter what age you are, no matter where you work or where you live, no matter what your family situation is, no matter how much money you have or don’t have, no matter what your physical health is (or isn’t), no matter what your personality type is, no matter what someone has or hasn’t done to you, this truth holds—your life is perfectly designed to produce the result you’re currently getting.

“Wow, that’s harsh!  Don’t you know what I’ve been through?  Don’t you understand how hard my life has been?  Don’t you see what other people have done to me?  It’s not my fault!!!”  YES, IT IS.  Your life is perfectly designed to produce the result you’re currently getting.  Your life today is simply you reaping what you have previously sown.  That’s all it is.

Wait—what about time and chance?  Ecclesiastes tells us that “time and chance” happen to all!  I didn’t sow that seed!  Maybe, maybe not- regardless, we must reap it.  We must deal with the consequences, and sometimes, we have much more control than we first think.  Let’s look at an example- this is a dark example- but it should help drive home the point.

Jerry is the prototypical, upstanding guy.  He works hard, makes a good salary that allows him to support his family, he tithes and gives to other charities… One night, Jerry picks up his daughter at midnight from a sleepover because she became ill.  He drives over and back to his daughter’s friend’s house the same way as when he dropped her off earlier in the evening. 

After Jerry picks up his daughter, he stops at an intersection that has a blind spot.  There’s a curve that comes up to the 4-way stop, and some trees that have branches that hang down that makes it difficult to see the stop sign, especially at night.  As Jerry pulls out into the intersection to make his left-hand turn, a big pickup truck slams into his car--- 

Time and chance?  I said that we OWN EVERYTHING.  How can you say that Jerry “owns this”? Was Jerry aware that the intersection had a blind spot?  Yes.  What if I told you that Jerry also knew that down the road from that blind spot is a diner that stays open late on the weekends to cater to the after-hours crowd, folks that have been out at the bars drinking?  And that Jerry knew that there were often drunk driving incidents in that area.  What if I told you that Jerry could have picked a route that would have avoided both the diner and the intersection with the blind spot? 

As harsh as it is to say, Jerry sowed the seed- he took the route that had the highest likelihood of an accident.  Was it his fault there was an accident?  NO- the driver of the pickup truck bears the fault.  But Jerry and his daughter paid the price.  And it was a price that could have been avoided in the first place.  This is what you could consider a rather extreme example of what we read in Proverbs 22:3 – “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, But the simple pass on and are punished.” 

How many “time and chance” things have happened in your life that weren’t REALLY “time and chance”- circumstances that could have been shifted with a little bit of thought?  I know that I can think of plenty.  If you’re feeling distinctly uncomfortable right now, that’s a good thing.  Why is this the case?  Because far too often, we are the “simple” rather than the “prudent”- and as Proverbs 22:3 tells us, the simple are punished.

Let’s go to Ecclesiastes 7- Solomon gives us something else to consider.

Better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting,
For that is the end of all men;
And the living will take it to heart.
[a]Sorrow is better than laughter,
For by a sad countenance the heart is made [b]better.
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

The idea here is not that we should go through our lives being mopey, not enjoying life.  The idea is not to be miserable and sad all the time.  What Solomon is showing us is that we learn more from experiencing pain and suffering than we do from experiencing pleasure.  The lessons that we remember are the ones that hurt. 

Verse 4 tells us that the “heart of the wise is in the house of mourning”.  If you are wise, you will consistently consider the painful lessons that experience.  You LEARN from them, and you become better. 

When we consider our lives- when we examine ourselves- and we look at the fruit that we are bearing in our lives, we will come to a sobering realization: WE OWN IT.  WE OWN ALL OF IT.  We are WITHOUT EXCUSE.  We are to be like our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ.  Look at everything that He went through on our behalf.  Look at how many excuses He could have had- “I’m being persecuted”, “I have Satan personally trying to do everything he can to make me sin”, etc.  But Christ OWNED IT ALL.  NO EXCUSES.  And His fruit was PERFECT.

We are told that WE are to grow toward perfection- to become more and more like Jesus Christ.  And as difficult as it is, part of that journey is to take COMPLETE OWNERSHIP of EVERYTHING that is happening in your life.  The very first thing we need to do is to ELIMINATE EXCUSES FROM OUR LIVES.  For many people, this will strike at the very heart of who you are.  For example, if you say “Oh, I’m terrible with names”.  No, you just don’t think it’s important enough to spend the energy to get better.  You simply don’t care enough about that person to take the time to learn and remember their name.  “Oh, I’m a procrastinator”.  Nope.  You just made a decision that this thing wasn’t important enough to do until the last minute.  Maybe it’s because it wasn’t important enough- but it’s likely that it’s just an excuse. How many excuses do you have built in to your life to make you feel better about your personal failings?  I guarantee that it is an uncomfortably large number.

What is left when you remove all of the excuses?  YOU- and that is the starting point for making progress in bearing more good fruit in your life- in EVERY area. 

The concept of reaping what you sow is a recognition that God has created this Universe, His Creation, to be built on a law of cause and effect.  If you sin, you will die.  That’s cause and effect.  The seed and the harvest.  The action and the fruit of that action.  It can be easy for us to look back over time and identify this cause and effect relationship, especially in someone else’s life.   Sometimes it’s not so easy to see it in our own. 

But this is where we need to do the hard work in order to improve and grow.  Let’s remember that we have come to terms with the fact that there are no excuses- we are now working with “just the facts”- what has happened- the actions and decisions that have gotten you where you are.  Some of those actions and decisions were ones that you made, and there may be some made by other people that affected you.  But we recognize that, taken together, all of these actions and decisions have resulted in where you are right now.  I’m emphasizing this because it’s so important. 

Let’s say you’ve never been to Mackinac Island, and I were to tell you that you needed to go there tonight, and I told you about all of the wonderful and enjoyable things you could do, and it sounded great and you wanted to do it….and I handed you a map of Michigan, it would be worthless in and of itself.  WHY?  Because a map isn’t going to help you unless you know where you are right now!  Unless you knew where you were, you wouldn’t know where to go in order to get to the island! 

In life, we have our Mackinac Islands- those things that we want in our life- the Fruit of the Spirit, good physical health, strong relationships, solid financial footing- and just like in our example, we may not have made it to all of these places in our lives yet—but God, in His Word, has given us the map on how to get there.  He has given us the map to ETERNAL LIFE IN HIS KINGDOM!   BUT YOU have to determine where you are right NOW so that you know where you need to go next!  When you’re at the mall-  remember going to those?- and you’re trying to find a store, you see the kiosk that has the map—and what do you look for first?  You’re looking for the arrow that says “You Are Here”.  For whatever you want in life, you first need to know where to put that arrow!

So eliminate the excuses and you will be able to more clearly see where you need to put that “You Are Here” arrow on the map so you can trace the result back to the cause of the problem.  It’s like tracing the fruit back to the seed- or to trace the reaping back to the sowing!

Let’s go to Matthew 13 – this is where Christ gives us the parable of the Sower.  Let’s go ahead and begin in verse 1:

On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But 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 sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Let’s look through this parable to see that we have the law of cause and effect that is in motion.  Verse 3 tells us that the sower went out to sow.  Now let’s first look at this seed.  This is GOOD seed, and it’s the same good seed that will be sown in the various soils.  In our lives, we can think about the seed as having an intention- the intention of the sower is that the good seed that he’s spreading about will grow into a good harvest.  The good intentions that we have in our lives we hope those will grow into good fruit!

But we see in the parable that this same good seed- these same good intentions- they can land in different soil.  Let’s look at these—

Verse 4: And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But 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 sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

Let’s remember that the context of the parable is the Kingdom of God- the seed is the Word of God- the Gospel Message of the Kingdom of God- and the soil is the hearts of the people who hear it.  Today, we are a part of the sowing of this good news through the world through the work of the United Church of God- and we are part of the work through the way in which we live our lives and interact with our fellow man, and to share the good news with them as the Father wills.  Let’s note that in the parable, the seed was being spread ALL OVER THE PLACE- the Word of God being broadcast to all people, to have the greatest exposure possible- even to those who will most likely reject it!  This parable, again, is speaking of the Word of God being broadcast- even to those who would be opposed to it- but let’s take this parable and look at it from a more personal context.

What is the “seed” in your life? Or rather, what ARE the SEEDS in your life?  They are the actions that you take in your life, the decisions that you make of where you put your time and attention.  Every day, we are sowing seeds—how often are you thinking about what you will sow from these decisions? 

I am going to assume that most of you are normal.  And this means that you DON’T often think about what you are doing!  Most people are going through the motions of life without really thinking about it-  driven by unintentional habits and emotions.  And quite often, when we aren’t giving thought to what we are doing- we are simply reacting to what is happening- then we find ourselves getting what you would charitably call “sub-optimal results”- a big mess.  There is a quote that is incorrectly attributed to Albert Einstein- it actually appears to have been a line in a mystery novel from the 1930’s- the quote is:  "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

You’ve probably heard that quote before, chuckled about it, and then moved on with your life, not really thinking more about it.  If you did think about it, you would realize that this is yet another form of “you shall reap what you sow”!  If you keep doing the same things over and over again, making the same decisions, taking the same actions- then you should expect the same kind of results!  If you keep staying up too late, for example, it is insanity for you to expect to feel refreshed in the morning.  If you want different results- different fruit- a different harvest that you are reaping- then you need to CHANGE something.

Now, most of the time, if we are going to think about these things, what do we concentrate on?  We concentrate on only ONE of the variables, don’t we?  We concentrate our attention on the “SEED”- the action that we are taking.  This is good for us to do because quite often that can be where the opportunity to improve lies.  To go back to our little example- if you want to feel refreshed in the morning, then you need to go to bed earlier- and you’ll probably need to change a few other things in your schedule to make sure that you do.

But there is another variable that is just as important for us to consider!  Sometimes it’s not the ACTION- the “SEED”- that is causing the poor results.  Sometimes it’s the SOIL!  How often do you think about the SOIL you are planting your seeds into?  Jesus gave another parable that helps us to consider this aspect- let’s go to Matthew 25—we are going to start in verse 14—this is the parable of the talents:

14 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. 15 And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, to each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. 

What’s going on here?  The man traveling to a far country is going to “plant some seeds” before he leaves.  The seeds are the talents- a talent was worth about 6,000 denarii- and a single denari was the typical wage for a full day of labor.  We’re talking about 19 YEARS worth of wages in a single talent!  So the seed is the money—but we also see that the man considers the SOIL as well- the soil being his servants.  Verse 15 tells us that he distributed the money to the three servants “to each according to his own ability”.

The man recognized that the SOIL- the ability, the track record- of each servant was different- and he divides up the SEED- the money- accordingly.  We can assume that the one who received 5 talents was a servant that the man had a lot of confidence in that he would make profitable investments.  The one to whom he gave 2 talents had shown promise- maybe this servant didn’t have as much experience.  And the one to whom he gave 1 talent- maybe it was a “maybe he will surprise me” kind of move, but I’m not going to give him very much in case he loses it.  The takeaway here is that the man considered both the SEED- the size of the investment- and the SOIL- the ability of the servant- to make his decisions prudently.

Continuing on in Matthew 25:16— we are going to see what happens with the servants and their results.

16 Then he who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and made another five talents. 17 And likewise he who had received two gained two more also. 18 But he who had received one went and dug in the ground, and hid his lord’s money. 19 After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them.

20 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, ‘Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.’ 21 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ 22 He also who had received two talents came and said, ‘Lord, you delivered to me two talents; look, I have gained two more talents besides them.’ 23 His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.’

So the consideration of both the SEED and the SOIL are paying off so far!  The servants who were given the 5 and 2 talents have built up the pot to 14 talents.  We don’t know how long the master was away- it just says a long time- we think about doubling our money and think “that’s a nice return!”, but what if the master had been away for 20 years?  Maybe not so great of a return!  So it must not have been TOO long of a time since the master tells these first two servants that they had done a good job.  They had proven to be capable of taking responsibility and prudent action, and it had paid off.  They had sown wisely, and had reaped abundantly.

What about the third servant?  We read about him in verse 24—and let’s notice that this principle of sowing and reaping is referred to explicitly in this parable:

24 “Then he who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Lord, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you have not sown, and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 

Uh-oh… let’s look at this servant- he said that he knew that his master would reap where he had not sown, and gathered where he had not scattered seed.  Now, if the servant knew this about his master, do you think that he understood the expectations that his master would have where he DID scatter seed, like giving him 19 years worth of wages to manage while he was gone? 

What did the servant miss?  What might WE miss?  What the servant might not have considered, and what we might not consider is that WE ourselves are the soil for the seeds of others.  We have all been the soil for the seeds planted by our parents, for example.  Many of us are parents ourselves- the lessons and the examples that we teach our children, they are seeds.  As parents, we hope to see them sprout and bear fruit.  At work, if you have a good manager, or a mentor, he or she plants seeds in you—to teach you, to encourage you, to help you to grow. 

We are soil for others—the question to ask ourselves is “what sort of soil am I?”  In the case of the servant, it was not profitable soil, as we see in verse 25:

25 And I was afraid, and went and hid your talent in the ground. Look, there you have what is yours.’

26 “But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. 27 So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.

Let’s return now to the Parable of the Sower back in Matthew 13-  Verse 4 tells us that some of the seed fell by the wayside- those are the paths where the workers would walk to and from the fields.  On the way to the field, the sower dropped some seed on the path-  was there a hole in his bag?  Was he not paying attention to what he was doing with the seed?  It is sad to realize that this is where most people are sowing a lot of seeds in their lives.  They are just not thinking about what they are doing.

We next read about seed that is planted in people that have great enthusiasm at first, but then they fall away.  We all know people like that in our lives- when you first meet them, they’re great, but as time goes on you realize that you really can’t count on them when time gets tough.  They just don’t have the roots.

For sake of time we won’t go through the others- but the point is this:  we all need to do a better job of sowing in our lives.  Here’s what we need to consider:

  • Your actions- remember that you own them.  You are without excuse for your decisions, your words, your actions.  Nobody else.  Your decisions affect not only you- but they affect others around you.  We must consider not only the SEED, but also the SOIL that you are planting that seed into.
  • Your RE-actions- Just as you make decisions and take actions that will affect others- other people will make decisions and take actions that affect YOU.  What YOU have control over is your attitude; how you react to others is completely up to you.  YOU have control, you have responsibility.  Remember that YOU are SOIL for the SEED from others.

Let’s consider that for a moment- You are the SOIL for others.  The question is whether their seeds will sprout and bear fruit.  Before you say “I hope so” let’s ask another question: “Are the actions, the seeds, the words - the SEEDS- of other people always going to be GOOD seed?”  NO.  Every seed is NOT good.  Let’s face it.  The world, and your life, is filled with people who have a lot more seeds of weeds than good seed. 

We have control over OUR SOIL- just as we need to consider the seed that we sow into others- we must consider the seed that others are sowing into us- and to determine whether it reaches our soil or not.  If it’s weed seed- actions, ideas, words- that will result in negatives in our lives, then our job is to prevent that weed from sprouting and taking root in our lives.  Because if we allow those weeds in our lives, we can end up reaping that harvest.  And then WE may end up taking the weed seeds from that harvest and sowing them into the lives of others!  Our job is to be good soil for the good seed, and poor soil for the bad seed.  Simple to say, hard to do!

Today, we have scratched the surface of the concept of reaping and sowing, a universal Law that God has placed into effect in all systems in His Creation, including in the lives of all human beings.  It is a law that influences us directly in everything that we do, whether we know it or not, whether we believe it or not, and whether we like it or not.  It simply IS.  And the key for us to move forward toward a better life today, and the hope of eternal life tomorrow is to recognize this law, to embrace it- to understand it- and to consider how it plays out in our lives.

We must take full responsibility for our lives- I said in the introduction that “Our lives are perfectly designed for the results we are currently getting.”  If you want better results, you need to harness the law of sowing and reaping- plant better seed, be better soil.  Take complete responsibility for your life.  This is wisdom and it is just another step toward God’s Kingdom.

I always find it fascinating to read about research that confirms what God’s Word teaches us about ourselves.  When researchers try to determine what motivates people at the deepest levels, they find two key motivators that drive people to action:  Hope of gain, and fear of loss.  Where it gets messy is that these two things are in a constant tug-of-war in many areas of our lives. 

Let’s use a simple example: you are presented with an opportunity to invest in a business venture that you believe will give you an excellent return.  Let’s say it is $50,000 minimum to invest, but over the next three years, you would expect to double your money- that at the end of the three years, you would have $100,000.  There is your “hope of gain”.  Pretty motivating, huh?

But there’s the flip-side.  In business and in life, there are no guarantees.  There is risk.  And that is where the fear of loss comes in.  No matter how solid the business plan looks, there is a chance that you could lose money- maybe even ALL of it.  $50,000 is a pretty serious chunk of change to most of us here, right? 

Now the question- which one speaks louder?  Researchers have found that in virtually ALL cases, the fear of loss is about TWO times stronger than the hope of gain.  They also find that the joy of gain doesn’t last as long as the pain of loss.

Break down each kind

Note that all but one did NOT result in a harvest

How much thought do we give to the soil that we are planting our seeds in?  Christ was giving a parable about the Kingdom of God, but if this was a real-life operation you would fire that sower for wasting so much seed in poor soil!

Parable of the non-fruit bearing tree.  You must put work into the soil to give the best chance at bearing fruit.  Structure>Willpower and Intentions

We are soil for others—the question to ask ourselves is “what sort of soil am I?”

II. Trace the Result Back to Find the Cause of Your Problem

You and I live in a cause and effect universe. Every effect/result always has a cause (other than the original uncaused cause, the beginning of the universe, which is something only God can do). So, whenever you see a result that you don’t like in your life (and you’ve eliminated all excuses), the next thing you need to do is trace that effect back to see what the original cause was (or causes were).

For example, using the blown test example above as a less than happy result, what could be some of the potential causes?

  • Did you not study enough? Back in my Accounting 101 class at UW-Madison, the average study time for an A was 40 hours. Anything less than that was something lower than an A
  • Did you not do the assigned readings?
  • Did you not do the homework?
  • Did you not pay attention in class?
  • Did you not get enough sleep the night before?
  • Did you not understand something and then not ask the teacher for help?
  • Did you not master the underlying material (for ex. if you didn’t master Algebra I, Algebra II will be rather difficult)?
  • Have you not trained your memory to retain large amounts of data?
  • Are you weak in building a logical argument (if it’s an essay type test)?
  • Are you weak in your literary or grammatical skills?
  • Do you have poor test prep strategies?
  • Did you have a fight with your boyfriend/girlfriend the night before?
  • Etc. You get the idea.

Every result has a cause. If you want to make changes in your life, you simply need to trace the problem back to find the original causes so you can change them. Remember, your life is perfectly designed to produce the result you’re currently getting. If you don’t like the result, trace the problem back to find the original cause (or causes).

In the end, most causes usually come back to a handful of reasons.

  • A belief that needs to be changed (for ex. from “I can’t” to “I can”)
  • A behavior that needs to be changed (i.e. eating too many simple carbs if you’re trying to lose weight)
  • A physical posture that needs to be changed (i.e. the way you use your body)
  • A standard that needs to be changed (for ex. if you accept less than excellent work as okay, that’s a standard that needs to be changed)
  • A system that needs to be changed (for ex. if you “never have enough money to save” just depositing your check and hoping that you’ll move some over to your savings/investment account is a bad system. You probably need to automate it).

Once you have some ideas about what you think the cause is (or causes are), then you’re ready for step three

III. Keep Changing the Cause Until You Get The Result Your Want

While a lot of people like to make life seem complicated, at its core, life isn’t as complicated as you’ve been told. In this cause and effect world in which you and I live, if we don’t like an effect, all we need to do is change the cause. Change the cause, change the effect. Pretty simple.

In other words, if you don’t like blowing exams, change the cause(s). Maybe you have to talk with your teacher and get some remedial help. Or maybe you need to develop a better test preparation system. Or maybe you need to take better notes in class. Or maybe you need to learn to read more actively so you can retain more information? Or maybe you need to form a study group. Etc. In other words, you keep changing the causes until you find a way to consistently deliver the results you want (in this case, straight A’s).

Or if you’re not succeeding at work at the pace you’d like, maybe you need to find a mentor. Or maybe you need to go back to school. Or maybe you need to enhance a skill set. Or maybe you need to work on an interpersonal skill. Or maybe you need to improve your productivity. Or maybe you need to volunteer for more projects in your company. Or maybe you need to develop your leadership skills. Or maybe you need to …. you get the idea. You keep changing the causes until you get the result you want (in this case, a higher level job).

Or if you’re not happy with the status of a relationship, maybe you need to have a conversation with that person about something that happened that you haven’t discussed but it’s affected you and your relationship. Or maybe you need to adjust your work or school schedule so you have more time to invest in that relationship. Or maybe you have to learn how to think like the other person thinks (i.e. no one else is like you so don’t assume they are or ever will be). Or maybe you need to confess something. Or forgive something. Or maybe you need to learn some better relational skills (like active listening). Remember, change the cause, change the result (in this case, a better relationship).

No matter what you do in this life, you can’t escape this lesson. So, don’t try. Embrace it. Own in. Make it yours. And you’ll reap the benefits of this truth for the rest of your life. Your life is perfectly designed to produce the results you’re currently getting. Whenever you don’t like the results you’re currently getting (in any area of your life), make sure you

  1. Eliminate excuse-making from your options list
  2. Trace the result back to find the cause of your problem
  3. Keep changing the cause until you get the result you want

A young reporter wanted to get a feel for agriculture, so he called upon a farmer and said, “How’s your wheat coming along?” The farmer replied, “I didn’t plant any.”

“Really?” asked the reporter. “I thought this was supposed to be wheat country.”

“Some say it is,” Came the reply. “But I was afraid we might not see enough rain this year.”

“Well, what about your corn? How is it doing?” the young man inquired.

“Didn’t plant corn this year,” the farmer said. “I was afraid of disease”

“Alfalfa?”

“No. Afraid the price might drop.”

“Well, then,” asked the reporter, “what did you plant?”

“Nothing,” the farmer said. “I just played it safe.”

So many things to think on that it could be more than one sermon.

EVERYTHING, every moment, every action, is a seed.  There is POTENTIAL in everything.  

You need to have the eyes to see the potential- the VISION of what a thing could be.

BUT you also need to have the eyes to see the SOIL.  

  • The parable of the sower shows that the same seed will have drastically different results depending on the SOIL that it is planted in.

How do you develop the vision for the potential of your thoughts and actions?

How do you develop an understanding and vision for the SOIL in which to sow your seeds?  How do you stop throwing your seeds away?

Parable of the vineyard owner with the tree not bearing fruit.  The PURPOSE of the tree (which came from a seed) was to bear fruit.  The seed had already been planted.  It had already taken root and grown into a tree and it had not been bearing the fruit that it should.  What is the answer?  IMPROVE THE SOIL.  There are things about ourselves that are already so deep-rooted, seeds already planted-- we have to IMPROVE THE SOIL in our life.  Find a good example of that, and how do you change it?

How does this principle apply to your work? to your relationships?  to your finances?  to your brethren and the Work of God?

Key quotes: As a Man Thinketh is essentially a big essay on reaping and sowing.  Kind of old-time New Age vibe, though.  HOWEVER, there is that key theme that runs through it that WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SEEDS THAT ARE GIVEN TO US, AND WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SOIL IN WHICH THEY ARE SOWN.

"In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result.  Chance is not." - James Allen, "As a Man Thinketh"

"Dreams are the seedlings of reality"- James Allen, "As a Man Thinketh"

Are you throwing away seeds?  The seeds of your future success and happiness?  Or are you facing your fears, and sowing in faith that God has your back, that there WILL BE A HARVEST if you sow in good soil in faith?