Isaiah 32:20; Ecclesiastes 11:1; Psalm. 1:3
notice: beside all waters; upon all waters; by the rivers of water
These verses aren’t telling us what to sow; instead they show us WHERE to sow! Remember the parable in the gospels of the sower who went out to sow? And in that parable, the Lord tells us the sower planted the same seed everywhere, but it fell in different locations. The seed remained the same, but the where changed. And the results of a good harvest were determined by the where. If I am going to have a blessed 2015, it will be, in part, because I sow my seeds in the right place!
The seeds of my life need to be sown in the right place
The seeds of my heart…
The seeds of my children’s lives…
The seeds of my marriage…
The seeds of my ministry…
The seeds of my relationships…
The seeds of my church…
Another thing you should notice, in the texts, is the plural tense of these words – not water, but waterS. There is more than one waterway by which we ought to sow the seeds of our Christians lives. So, what are the waters, the waterways of the Lord, that a Christian should sow beside?
1. Sow beside the waterway of God’s Word The Word of God is a waterway; it is a great necessity to survive spiritually. And when we speak of the Word of God, we mean the King James Version. While over versions claim to contain what the bible says, they fail, and are not the full and inerrant and powerful Word of God. The truth is, they actually change doctrine in their efforts to be different enough to publish a new version. I’m simply saying, let us not miss out on this wonderful waterway. Be sure to plant some seed this year by this helpful location.
2. Sow beside the waterway of God’s House Every time the church doors are open, we need to sow some seed. We are wise to make the church a place that has a level one priority in our life. Christians are becoming lax in this area. We don’t see the priority of the preaching of Gods’ Word or the purpose of the church like we once did, and that is a shame. II Timothy 4:2-4 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. Let us make sure to plant some seed by the waterway of God’s House this year.
3. Sow beside the waterway of God’s Great Commission If we lose sight of this waterway, if it goes unsown, the church will die! This waterway is the lifeblood of the church; it is the closest thing to the heart of God. I Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
We had a precious time with the folks at the nursing home. We sang songs, and I preached to them. I shared, at the end of the service, how a person can be saved; how they must let go of everything else, and simply trust in the Lord Jesus as their one and only Saviour. Only He can forgive their sins, and give them eternal life. As I was saying goodbye, one of the ladies shook my hand and said, “Pastor, I accept Jesus as my Saviour.” Oh, Praise the Lord – what a blessing to sow beside this waterway.
I hope I can challenge you to take some time to consider other waterways like: God’s Tithe, God’s Spirit, God’s Presence, God’s Will, as well as others of which you might know. And let us sow, not just in one location, but in all the waterways that the Lord provides for us. This way if we neglect one of the areas, we have the others to sustain us until we get back to that area. This new year, understand how important it is WHERE you sow your seeds.
– Pastor S. Borner