2 Corinthians 9 Sow Many Seed

2 Corinthians 9 NIV
For the last few years, I've attempted to plant a garden. I sow very few seeds as my garden is very small. Someone in my household does not want a garden infringing on the space that belongs to the driveway. In the fall, I reap almost nothing. In order to reap a harvest we must sow generously.

Likewise the church on earth is like a garden. In order to reap a good harvest. In order for the church to grow, we must plant many seeds. We must scatter the seeds everywhere we go. We are to scatter our gifts to the poor and he who supplies the seed will increase our store of seed and enlarge the harvest so that we can be even more generous.

So that we can be even more generous.... Get that? The harvest is not for ourselves, no matter what the prosperity preachers preach. It's not about new cars and fancy homes. The harvest is so that we can be generous in assisting those in need. The harvest is so to help us plant even more seeds so that the church might continue to grow.

St. Paul encourages the people to give generously to the offering with cheerful hearts. In this way we supply the needs of the Lord's people as well as bring about many expressions of thanks to God.

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else." (vs 12-13)

Sow many seeds, that the harvest might be abundant and glory given to God. Thanks be to God!

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 35 - Faithful As A Rekabite?

Jeremiah is still trying to get the people to change their ways. He is still trying to get them to listen to the LORD and follow in the way that He would have them go.

The Rekabites are used as an example of obedience and faithfulness. This family had been instructed, by their forefather, Jehonadab son of Rekab, never to drink wine, never to build homes for themselves; never to farm; rather, they were to live as nomads in tents and they would continue to live in the land for generations to come serving the LORD. These Rekabites actually listened. Even when Jeremiah tempted them with wine, they refused to drink. They did everything that they had been instructed to do by their forefather and the LORD promised that "Jehonadab son of Rekab will never fail to have a descendant to serve me.” (Jer 35:19)

On the other hand, the rest of the people remained hard-hearted and chose to do what they wanted to do and rejected the way of the LORD, their God, who had delivered them from the hands of Egypt. They rejected Him and would return to captivity.

I'm thinking that Jeremiah's attempts at changing the hearts and minds of these people with threats are going to end up pretty fruitless. Only the LORD can soften their hearts and it will be that they will not be softened until they spend some more time in the wilderness, in exile, in captivity.

I hope that we can all learn from the history of our forefathers... We shouldn't have to be threatened to get us to have faithful hearts. After all, look what the LORD has done for us... delivered us from the bondage of sin, by the precious blood of His own Son.

So why is it that some will be faithful to the way in which they should go and others will not? May God help us to be more like the Rekabites: faithful in the way that we should go.

God's Peace - Pr. J

Jeremiah 22 - Have Compassion And Do Justice

Have compassion and do justice... and, you will live. You will live in peace. 

 

Sadly, the King of Judah lacks compassion. He does not do justice. He is too busy building up himself a kingdom. He is busy amassing wealth for himself. Because of his self-serving life, the king has led the people in a wrong way. He has led them to destruction. They are about to be kicked out of the kingdom.

 

Sadly, we have many kings today. So many of us thing we should all be able to live like kings. We have built up for ourselves tiny castles which we must protect and build up no matter what it costs us or others. You have probably heard the saying a "man's home is his castle." Think about how much you have put into that home and why. Think about how much the labor that has gone into making it the envy of your neighbor's eye may have cost you in relationships with family and friends. Think about how it may be costing you your relationship with the LORD. Think about how the time spent in making that home your own little castle has directed you away from living and enjoying a more fuller life that God intends for you to have. You want you own kingdom and refrain from entering the Kingdom of God. I am not saying that we should not have nice, comfortable homes. I am simply saying, how much is it really costing you? (See Luke 14:28) In the end, the compulsive desire and attempts to acquire great luxury will lead us down the path of destruction.

 

In the end, on that final day, the house will be gone. All acquisitions will go to someone else or maybe to the dump. On that final day, we will stand at the gate of the Kingdom and we will either be welcomed or sent away. Will we follow in the path of Jesus, living lives according to God's will, and ultimately enter through that gate that He has opened for us?

 

The choice to do justice or injustice is ours. The choice to live life to its fullest or spend our lives envying others and striving to have all that they have and more is ours. Heaven is not something just for the afterlife. It can be lived and experienced now. Even as we pray, "Thy kingdom come," it has come. We can live in God's presence even now. As I have often asked before, why would you desire to live in God's kingdom after you pass through the gateway that is death, if living in His Kingdom, His presence, isn't good enough for you today?

 

Even as our Lord Jesus had compassion on us, may God help us to have compassion on others and do justice that we might live in His presence together.

 

God's Peace - Pr. J