Skip to main content

Sowing Seeds


I read a devotion this morning that I would like to share. I don't usually post things written by other people, but God spoke to me through this piece written by Joanie Yoder. I pray that He will do the same for you.

"I read a fable about a man who was browsing in a store when he made the shocking discovery that God was behind a sales counter. So the man walked over and asked, "What are You selling?" God replied, "What does your heart desire?" The man said, "I want happiness, peace of mind, and freedom from fear . . . for me and the whole world." God smiled and said, "I don't sell fruit here. Only seeds."

In Galatians 6, Paul stressed the importance of sowing seeds of God-honoring behavior, for "whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (v.7). We can't expect to experience the fruit of God's blessings if we don't recognize the importance of doing our part.
It helps to follow the example of others who have sown good seed. Author Samuel Shoemaker said that a good example can either inspire us or cause us to say, "Oh yes, he (or she) is like that. He is not troubled by temper or nerves or impatience or worry as I am; he is just a happier temperament." Shoemaker continued, "It may not occur to us that perhaps he had to fight for his serenity, and that we might win if we would do the same."

Are you weary of the way you are? Ask God for His help and begin sowing seeds of new actions and responses today. In due season the Spirit will give the increase. — Joanie Yoder

We're always sowing seeds in life
By everything we do and say,
So let's make sure the fruit we reap
Comes from the good we do each day. —Hess

The seeds we sow today determine the kind of fruit we'll reap tomorrow."

I found this thought-provoking. How do we sow good seeds? I think we sow them by filling our minds with things that are good, noble, praiseworthy, etc. and also by staying in step with the Holy Spirit, speaking and acting only when we feel Him leading us to do so. Other ways to sow good seeds are spending time with God, reading the Word and allowing God to speak to us through it, loving on others and serving them with selfless motives. It's a new day - I pray that we are each able to sow good seeds today for God's glory and not our own.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Olivia Kate Update

We expected a routine appointment. Last April, the cardiology team told us that we did not have to return for another check-up on the hole in Olivia's heart for a full year. This was music to a mom's and dad's ears! Since her pediatrician had noticed the severe murmur in her heartbeat when she was just four days old, we'd visited the cardiologist office several times to monitor any changes in heart function. So far, it seemed that this hole was not causing any problems, and the doctors said that it might even close on its own. The ultrasounds of Olivia's heart today revealed a different story, unfortunately. The left side of her heart has enlarged slightly over the last year, which tells us that this precious organ is under a bit of stress due to the turbulence of the extra blood flowing in and out of the hole. The first cardiologist who reviewed the ultrasounds with us today told us what we really did not want to hear: Olivia is heading down the path that req
10 comments
Read more

What's Real

I struggle with mental illness. Like many others, I can't really define myself as falling cleanly into one category or give myself a specific diagnosis. Mine has manifested in different ways during different seasons of my life: sometimes it's anxiety, but other times it's depression, disordered eating, obsessive compulsion or a cocktail of these. Regardless, it's there, and while I experience a lot of happiness in my life, there's also some inner turmoil that I fight to keep at bay. Why am I telling you this? It's certainly not for pity or to draw attention to myself. I'm guessing that many people reading this also struggle, but others may not. For both parties, I want to take a stab at normalizing mental illness and I also want to point out a few things I've found to be true: - Mental illness is not limited to a certain stereotype. Depression doesn't just affect teenagers who prefer dark clothes and hooded jackets! It's not just the poor, ju
5 comments
Read more

Not a Disappointment

I recently received some disappointing news, which led to an awesome, very deep talk with my husband. Interestingly, through this conversation, God revealed that I have been believing a significant lie: that I am a disappointment to several key people. I realized that I have been believing that I am a disappointment to my husband, co-workers, and some friends. I have been hearing lies about my weaknesses as a wife (ex: my cooking skills), my abilites at work (not good enough), and how good of a friend I am to certain people (ex: I don't reach out to them enough, I'm too focused on myself, etc.). The enemy has been working to convince me that I'm a disappointment to some of the people I hold dearest. And I haven't been making him work very hard - I've fallen for his schemes hook, line, and sinker. For a while, I've had a hard time understanding why I feel I am a self-confident person, yet I struggle with insecurities in so many areas. God showed me that it&
5 comments
Read more