It Is Rewarding to Sow

It Is Rewarding to Sow

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head.”

To many people these are comforting words when applied to their spiritual life, which is not growing visibly. They say you shall not look at yourself to see whether you are growing or not, because Jesus says that the seed sprouts and grows without us knowing it. We should not be concerned with our growth if only we hear God’s Word. The farmer sleeps by night and rises by day, and the seed sprouts by itself, and he himself does not know how. We just don’t understand these things.

On the other hand, others cannot reconcile this with what it says about working out our own salvation and laying aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receiving with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save our souls. Phil. 2:12; Jas. 1:21 and many other verses.

The mistake many people make is that they do not differentiate between the man who sows, and the earth which receives the seed. They explain it as if the man and the earth were one and the same. Jesus explains in a previous parable that when God’s Word is sown, the seed can fall on different types of ground, but if it falls on good ground—those who receive the Word—it bears fruit: thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. But the sower does not know who heard it and who was that good ground—who received it. He continues in his work; he sleeps and rises up again. What he has sown on good ground grows without him knowing it. The listeners receive the seed as a word of God, and it effectively works in those who believe. 1 Thess. 2:13. God has given the increase. 1 Cor. 3:6. The sower has sown the word that they should put off all filthiness and wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word which is able to save their souls. Those who were good ground received it, and God gave the increase. He worked in them both to will and to do, working out their own salvation. The sower had given them the understanding that they should do all things without murmuring and disputing. Phil. 2:12-15.

Afterward the sower met these people again. By then the seed had grown up without his knowledge. Great changes had taken place in their lives, and they could tell the sower that they had received what he had sown, and how effectively it had worked in their lives.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Isa. 55:10-11.

It is vital that brothers grow forth who have words that have gone forth from the Lord’s mouth. Jer. 15:19. If you are such a one, it is important that you sow. It may appear to be hopeless, but the Lord’s word will not return void. Jesus explains further that it has tremendous germinating power, and He compares God’s kingdom to a mustard seed. It has been evident throughout all ages that that which appeared to be so insignificant grew and became strong and caused upheavals in town and country and in entire nations.

Therefore follow the exhortation in Ecclesiastes 11:6: “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand . . . .” These two parables spoken by Jesus are an encouragement to work.