My son and I planted a small vegetable garden in our yard. It continues to be a source of lessons to me and him. As we were eating dinner out recently, he pulled the lemon off my drink, pulled out the seeds and said, “Here you go, Dada. We can plant these and get lemons from our garden.” At first I was impressed that he made the correlation that seeds inside of fruits and vegetables are what grow and make the plants. Then, as I thought more about it, there was a deeper truth. Only lemon seeds can produce lemons.
That’s knowledge that you and I don’t think often about. We know it as a law of nature, but not as a spiritual law. We know that if we plant watermelon seeds, we’ll grow watermelons every time. But somewhere along the line, we think we can break that law with spiritual seeds. We think we can plant seeds of discontentment and somehow reap peace. Worse yet, we think we can skip out on paying tithes and reap the benefits of giving.
The same law that causes a physical seed to reproduce itself works in the spirit realm as well. What you sow, that shall you also reap. If you want more peace in your life, sow peace into the lives of others. If you want joy, put the work in to make it happen. The great thing about seeds is that when one is planted, several are reproduced. You rarely get a one to one ratio. One kernel of corn can produce a stalk that has several ears containing hundreds of kernels each. You won’t get the benefit of multiplication until you plant the seed where no one sees it.
In Luke 6:38 Jesus said, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. ” (NLT) He talks of giving just like planting seeds. I also like how the Message writes the first portion of this. It says, “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults—unless, of course, you want the same treatment. Don’t condemn those who are down; that hardness can boomerang. Be easy on people; you’ll find life a lot easier. Give away your life; you’ll find life given back.”
Jesus is talking about sowing a reaping in the spiritual realm. You can’t plant the seeds of criticism and expect a return of praise. You can’t plant condemnation and receive blessings. If you want an easier life, go easy on others. It’s easier said than done, but once you understand the same principle that works for those lemon seeds my son gave me works in your life, things will begin to turn around. You’ll have to make a conscious effort to think about what you want in your life and then begin proactively planting those things in others.
Just like with plant seeds, you’re going to have to work the soil, water the seeds, pull the weeds and wait for the harvest. Just because you plant the right seeds today, it doesn’t mean you’ll reap the harvest you want tomorrow. It’s going to take time and effort on your part to reap the harvest. I can tell you that the more work you put into the process, the greater the harvest will be at the end. Don’t settle for a small harvest. Plant the right seeds, cultivate the soil they’re in and your harvest will come guaranteed.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 