Sow in Abundance
On August 6, we're excited to be holding a Night of Hope at Yankee Stadium, which reminds me of another Night of Hope event years ago. While we were walking around the baseball stadium, I was surprised to see birds all over the outfield grass. I was told that in order to fix the daily wear and tear and keep the grass growing evenly, the maintenance crew went out every day to throw grass seed, which brought the birds. Despite the birds, the grass stayed beautiful because the abundance of sown seed was greater than what the birds ate.
Watching the birds made me think of our lives. We all have areas of our lives that we want to see grow and flourish, but we may have some significant wear and tear going on. Sometimes it's so discouraging. Perhaps you determined to save money toward a house down payment, and you started to see the savings grow, but then your car broke down and ate up all that savings. Or maybe you wanted to renew your relationship with God, so you started reading God's Word and going back to church, but then someone there said something that offended you and put you off.
In Matthew 13, Jesus spoke about a farmer who went out to sow his seed in the field. Any seeds that fell along the walking path remained on the surface and were eaten by the birds. But Jesus also talked about the seed falling on good soil and producing an amazing crop. He didn't mention the birds coming and eating some of the seed there, though I'm sure they did. He wanted us to see that if we keep throwing those seeds out and keep the soil of our heart good, that seed is going to take root and grow. He's saying, "Don't look at the birds; look at your seed. The seeds that you are sowing will outlast any birds, any setbacks, any trials, any difficulties that you face. Just keep your soil fertile with praise and thanksgiving. Keep doing what's right, going to church, reading the Word, and praying. You won't be disappointed. I'll crown your efforts with success."
There will always be birds trying to steal our seed. Just throw out more seed than they can eat. Our God, the Creator of the universe, can open doors supernaturally. He can cause your finances to go further. He can cause things to happen that you've never dreamed possible. Be determined and say, "I'm not going to focus on the problems. I'm focusing on the fact that my God is able to take the seed sown and do more than I can ask, think, or imagine."
Watching the birds made me think of our lives. We all have areas of our lives that we want to see grow and flourish, but we may have some significant wear and tear going on. Sometimes it's so discouraging. Perhaps you determined to save money toward a house down payment, and you started to see the savings grow, but then your car broke down and ate up all that savings. Or maybe you wanted to renew your relationship with God, so you started reading God's Word and going back to church, but then someone there said something that offended you and put you off.
In Matthew 13, Jesus spoke about a farmer who went out to sow his seed in the field. Any seeds that fell along the walking path remained on the surface and were eaten by the birds. But Jesus also talked about the seed falling on good soil and producing an amazing crop. He didn't mention the birds coming and eating some of the seed there, though I'm sure they did. He wanted us to see that if we keep throwing those seeds out and keep the soil of our heart good, that seed is going to take root and grow. He's saying, "Don't look at the birds; look at your seed. The seeds that you are sowing will outlast any birds, any setbacks, any trials, any difficulties that you face. Just keep your soil fertile with praise and thanksgiving. Keep doing what's right, going to church, reading the Word, and praying. You won't be disappointed. I'll crown your efforts with success."
There will always be birds trying to steal our seed. Just throw out more seed than they can eat. Our God, the Creator of the universe, can open doors supernaturally. He can cause your finances to go further. He can cause things to happen that you've never dreamed possible. Be determined and say, "I'm not going to focus on the problems. I'm focusing on the fact that my God is able to take the seed sown and do more than I can ask, think, or imagine."