Living Seed

1 Peter 1: 23

For you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is through the living and abiding word of God.

Isn’t it good to know that you have been redeemed by imperishable seed rather than perishable? Your salvation is secure. You have been born again and this time you are born into the everlasting nature of your Father’s family. You are safe and secure for all time.

But did you know that when you were born again you were born of seed? Well, that is always how the Kingdom of God works. It always works by someone planting a seed. Then that seed grows and produces a harvest. You are God’s reward for having planted seed.

The verse above tells us that the seed that God planted in order to reap a relationship with you is the “living and abiding word of God.” Now isn’t that exciting? It might also be a bit perplexing so let me expound just a bit more.

Jesus told us in Mark 4: 14 that “the sower sows the word”. Now what does a farmer traditionally sow in order to reap a crop? Seed right? Therefore, the word is the seed that was sown. If you read the whole 4th chapter you will recognize the parable of the Sower and the Soils. God sowed His word into the world and from it came crops. We heard that word, we received that seed and we grew into fresh, choice crops that were gathered into the kingdom of heaven where we now reside spiritually.

But if you are able to go a step further consider this. John 1: 1, 14 say this: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.” That is speaking of Jesus. In fact, Jesus is the Word. He was with God in the beginning and then he came and dwelt among men. God gave us Jesus in order to redeem us from the curse of the world. He gave us Jesus so that we might be saved and become children of God. God sowed Jesus into our lives. He sowed a child and reaped many children. So, you see, Jesus is the imperishable, living seed that you are born of, the abiding word of God. You are very special to God, you are the result of his everlasting, living seed and you will abide with Him forever.

Mighty God

Isaiah 49: 26

And I will feed your oppressors with the own flesh, and they will become drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine; and all flesh will know that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.

God ain’t foolin’ around! Here is the question, which side of this verse do you want to be on. Are you the one to whom the Lord is speaking or are you the oppressor to whom He will feed their own flesh? This is some strong language and God meant for it to be so. He is upholding His beloved. However, might it be that even some of those who attack you are the so called “chosen?” If we are set upon by other Christians, where does God draw the line?

As you sow, so shall you reap. We get to choose which side of this verse we stand on. If we attack our brethren, if we criticize and disparage them, then we have taken on the name “oppressor” and great will be our agony. Do not think that because we are Christians we are exempt from the fruit of our labor or of our mouths. We are not. That is why Jesus emphasized the Parable of the Sower saying that if one cannot understand this principle then he will not understand any of the parables (Mark 4: 13). Whatever you sow, you will reap. God has given us this principle for our good so that we can plant good seed and harvest a great crop. However, the principle of the seed works whether the seed is good or bad. If you sow discord, you will reap a harvest of that seed and it is probably a crop you do not want.

We are a torn and broken people but God can heal us and heal our land. He will stand for those who stand for Him, His Word and His ways. He will show Himself on behalf of those who call on His name. He will defend His own. All flesh, or all people, will be able to see for themselves who is truly of the household of faith. If you have been attacked, fear not. God is going to show out so profoundly on your behalf that all will see and know that Jehovah God is your Lord, Savior and Redeemer. Those who have gossiped about you will be as nothing and shall fade.

If you have been guilty of unkind words or bad acts against your Christian siblings, there is forgiveness for that. Jesus is the way. Repent. Put yourself under the cleansing blood of Jesus. Turn and go a new way, the way of rightness. The Mighty One of Jacob shall receive you into His arms.

The Isaac Principle

Luke 6: 38

Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measure to you in return.

I have been thinking about what we might call the Isaac Principle which we beheld earlier in the week. In the time of famine, Isaac sowed and in that same year he reaped a hundredfold (Genesis 26: 1, 12). One of the things we have learned about times of economic slumps is that churches and ministries suffer. 

The wrongness of that fact bowled me over this week. I saw something I had not seen before. It tells me that the church isn’t living by Biblical principles. Jesus said, “Give, and it will be given to you.” Therefore, if we are in an economic downturn then we should not withhold our giving, we should increase it. When the famine was on, Isaac sowed. He didn’t withhold his seed or eat it for dinner. This is what the Bible teaches us. And we see it in the Old Testament and the New as well as from the mouth of Jesus. I just don’t think we can get more authoritative than that. So, the question is, “Why do people cut back on their giving in the lean times?”

The only answer I can come up with is that we are responding in fear rather than faith. Face it, the faith walk isn’t always easy but then, being broke in attitude and pocketbook is no cake walk either. I can look back over my lifetime and see the difference God’s truths have made. I remember having no money or having to wait for the next paycheck to buy tires for the car. It was no fun. Now you couldn’t convince me not to tithe. Just wished I had started it earlier. Now I wonder what God will show me next. Twenty years from now what will I wish I had learned earlier? I think it might be that I would learn how to trust God bigger than I do now.  Maybe I will say, “I wish I had held God to His word and believed He would come through for me.” 

We are each on this journey; learning and growing in the Lord. We just need to keep taking the next step. If you have not yet become a giver, do it today. Stop robbing yourself of God’s bounty. Jesus didn’t tell us to give because he needs something. He is trying to get resources into our hands. By our measure of giving, Jesus said, it will be given to us. How would you describe your giving? Is that the word that you want describing what comes in to you? Don’t give in to fear. Have the courage of heart to sow. Then watch your harvest increase.