The Seed must be left alone for the Harvest to Occur
The partnership letter for August 2018
Dear Partner, I am so glad to have the opportunity to write to you. I want to first of all, take this opportunity to thank you and your family for being so diligent and prompt in your giving unto the Lord’s work. You have sown your Tithes and Offerings, Pledges, Building funds, Priestly offerings etc. and now that you have sown seed on the ground, it has no alternative but to break forth and yield a total Blessing in your life. This Blessing comes in many forms, but more than that, it can come into your hands in a way different to what you have anticipated.
Firstly, thank you for being obedient to the Lord and secondly for being committed whole heartedly to the local vision of our church, Rhema Family Church, Durban. This is your spiritual home and as you sow, demand your breakthroughs and the things the devil is trying to keep away from you. You certainly have our agreement in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
This month I would like to share with you on the subject of: The Seed must be left alone for the Harvest to Occur
My Scripture reference is as follows:
Matthew 6:1-2 NKJV “Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them. Otherwise you have no reward from your Father in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
Jesus looks at the motive behind your giving. The only motive He condemns is when we seek to impress others with our giving. He doesn't condemn us when we give in order to reap a harvest. Some people feel they are very pious when they announce that they don't give in order to get, but only for the honor of giving. However, the Lord does not have a problem with giving in order to reap a harvest. In fact, in Luke 6, He teaches this very principle to motivate us to give. 'Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you' (Luke 6:38)
When we give with the intention that others will notice, we are not really sowing, we are just dropping seed out in the open for others to see. Seed sown in soil cannot be seen. And for it to grow, it must remain hidden. If a person who has sown seed keeps pulling it out for everyone to see, that seed will never grow. We will not reap a harvest from seed sown to gain people's admiration or attention. When you sow the seed, leave it alone. The Power of God will go to work on it, just like the soil goes to work on a seed that is planted in the ground. At our church, whenever we host a building fund or if I am seeking to raise people's faith in the areas of giving and receiving, I ask people who have been blessed to testify about it.
Sometimes they are hesitant to tell others what they have given. I urge them to tell how, when and how much they gave, so that others will be inspired. There is tremendous power in testimony. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus told us there are times when we should let our good works be seen by men, so they will glorify God. There is nothing wrong in announcing what we have given. It's all about our motivation. If we want to impress others with our giving, then that's all we'll do and that's all we'll get in return. However, when our motivation is to inspire others to give because of our own testimony, then our seed remains sown in the ground, ready to grow and produce a great harvest.
The Harvest always takes time! In Galatians 6:9 NKJV it says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” There is an entire season of life between sowing and reaping. The apostle Paul says that we will reap if we do not faint. People tend to faint in prayer, in doing good works, and in Faith. They give up and fade out.
No farmer waits until he has a need for food before he starts sowing seed. There is no such thing as an instant harvest in the agricultural world. For the most part, that analogy holds true in the principle of giving too. It's not enough to start giving when we suddenly have a need, hoping for an instant harvest. We must be sowing all the time. That way, when we do have a need, the seed has already been sown, and we can reap our harvest. Most harvests take a lot longer than we anticipate for them to ripen, but they prove well worth the wait. In Galatians 6:9, Paul talks of continuing to 'do good'. The context is about supporting the Ministry of those who teach us the Word of God. Continuing to do good is continuing to give. It is not fainting and not giving up on giving. When we tire of giving, we cease to provide the proper climate for cultivating and nourishing the seed we have sown, and it is hindered from growing to a full harvest. The best climate to encourage growth from seed we’ve sown is the climate of giving.
We live in a fast-food, instant society. Once upon a time we had to collect wood for fire, stoke up the stove, prepare the food, and then cook it for hours in a crude oven-which could take up to half a day. Now however, we grab a precooked dinner, place it in the microwave, and stand over the thing while it spins around, tapping the countertop and wondering why these things take so long. God does not move at the same pace as our present world. Part of our problem is this 'fast pace, low grace' society we've developed from attempting to cram so much into so little time. In this great rush to live life quickly, it's easy to become impatient with the pace at which God moves. We need to learn the art of patience; maintaining a good attitude while we wait longer than we want to for God to do what He wants to.
As we cultivate our soil and maintain a giving climate over our seed, our 'due season' will come!
We Love you very much and are constantly praying for your Progress, Success and Promotion.Dr. Roshan and Dr. Zubeda Sing.