SOW ABUNDANTLY

"But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." - 2 Corinthians 9:6

In the past couple of messages, I've written about the fact that a man reaps what he has sown.  As we think about the law of sowing and reaping, we should make sure we are sowing the right seed.

Not only is it important to sow the right seed, it is important to sow it often.  I think we'd all agree that you have a better chance to have a great harvest if you plant several acres of corn than you would if you planted just one hill of corn.  The more you plant, the more you will reap.

The more you read the Bible, the more the Bible changes you.  The more you help someone else, the better you feel within.  The more you share the Gospel, the greater the chances of seeing someone saved.  You see, the more you sow, the greater the chance that you'll have a great harvest.

When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he challenged them to be generous with their finances.  Notice what he wrote, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."  I am not a prosperity preacher.  I do not agree with the "health & wealth gospel" that some propagate.  However, I will state this.  God blesses those who give.  The more you give, the more He blesses.

The happiest people I know do not have much money, but they are generous.  Why are they so happy?  God blesses them.  The more they bless others, the more they find themselves being blessed.

Many Christians are stingy.  In fact, they are sinfully stingy.  They are cheating themselves out of the blessing of giving.  They are not only hurting others & the work of Christ through their stinginess, they are hurting themselves.

One of my favorite epistles is the book of Philippians.  In that tiny book of four chapters, the Apostle Paul often mentions words like "joy," and "rejoicing."  The book of Philippians is a joyous, victorious book.  Yet we also learn something about the Philippians from that epistle:  they were generous.  In fact, the book of Philippians was a "thank you," note from Paul.  That small church had given sacrificially to Paul as he worked for Jesus.  Because of their generosity, God blessed the church at Philippi. 

I've always heard preachers say, "You can't out-give God."  I believe that is true.  I believe that God does special things in the lives of those who give generously.  You see, they sow bountifully and they reap bountifully.

Some of the sourest people I know are stingy.  They have a sour expression on their face.  They mope and complain.  They have sown sparingly and they are reaping sparingly.

Generosity is not just about money.  Generosity can also be about your time and talents.  Giving people are blessed people.  God loves a cheerful giver.  When someone gives their time, talents or treasures, God blesses them. 

Nowhere in the Bible does it state that if you give $10 to a church that God will give you $100 in return.  We should not treat God like He is the stock market or a slot machine.  Instead, we should give generously in His Name because we love Him.  In response, He will bless us in many different ways.  

Ultimately, Christians should be laying up treasures in heaven.  Here on earth, we are making eternal investments.  When we invest in God's kingdom, be assured that there will be a guaranteed harvest.  Although God blesses His children here on earth, I believe our greatest blessings are yet to come.  I believe that there are many things we've forgotten that God still remembers.  He remembers when you took time to speak to a hurting person.  He remembers the time you gave money to a poor person.  He recalls the time that you helped someone in need.  He blessed you when you blessed them ... but He has even greater blessings in store.  There are treasures waiting in heaven for those who've served Jesus because they loved Him.

Don't sow a little here and a little there.  Sow the right seed and sow it generously.  If you sow bountifully, you WILL reap bountifully.