Sowing a seed

The Bible tells us that we will reap what we sow. In Swahili this saying goes: Utavuna ulichopanda.

I was listening to a preacher this morning who was talking about sowing seeds. He said a lot of factual things and something which stood out for me was that for you to get what God has for you, you need to do what God says: obey His commandments.

When you sow a seed, you must do it for a purpose - you must give it an assignment and expect something out of it. It might take time to bear fruit but it will bear fruit as long as you tend it regularly. If you ignore it, it is bound to remain stagnant. Doing something about your seed requires energy and understanding that is maintained by your faith. And your faith is meaningless without action. The action you take and the length of your waiting period that follows is determined by the amount of faith you have. The more faith you have, the easier it is to expect a reward. That means that you should keep doing what good thing you are doing even if the results are not yet staring you in the face because the more you perservere, the more you are likely to succeed. Of course you must pray for God's guidance and direction otherwise you will be barking up the wrong tree.

A farmer plants a seed in the ground and expects a harverst. But before planting that seed he has to plough the land and prepare the soil. The timing in terms of the seasons must be right or else the heavy winds and floods will wash away his seed. After planting, he must keep weeding otherwise his crop will fail. When using manure, it must be the right quality and quantity or else the plants will fail to germinate. The amount of water he uses for the plants must be just right or else the plant will wilt. He must keep checking the land and protect it from predators who may want to destroy or steal his crop. You get the drift. For a successful harvest there must be dedicated effort and zeal. Also, there is expected some resistance to which you have to fight to protect your crop. Nothing good comes easy or quickly, if it does beware!


How can you apply this simple illustration to your life?

In Oscar Wilde fashion...

I have nothing to declare but my genius!

Any questions?

Is it really?

Arthur Bloch, a shrewd commentator on society matters calls this Jone's Law:

'The man who can smile when things go wrong

has thought of someone he can blame it on.'

Do you agree or disagree - discuss.

Fear

Ever felt afraid of something or someone? Worry not for fear is only a four-letter word.

Everything

Consider the lillies...

Everything comes from God alone;

Everything lives by his power,

and everything is for His glory.

Romans 11:36

Three types of friends...

There are three types of friends:
1. Those that ran away the moment they hear that you have a problem;
2. Those that stay around only when things are good.
3. Those that are loyal no matter what the circumstances are.
Which kind of friend are you?

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Faith

Are you at a point where you are wondering what the word Faith means and how it can apply to your life?
Today, I was reading from the Word of God and came across a very inspiring passage on this and thought I might share it with you. Please read from the New Testament and marvel at the wonders experienced by the many people who remained faithful to God. Be blessed.
Hebrews 11

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Our strength in times of trouble

As a Christian, your life will not be free of trouble. You will face many troubled times and will have to deal with them all. The good thing is that God guarantees us His presence during the tough time to see us through it.

'When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fires, you will not be burned; for I am the Lord, your God.'
Isaiah 43:2,3

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Jesus, I trust in You.

Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Lord Jesus Christ, Have mercy on me. This Chaplet can be said on ordinary Rosary beads: First say, one Our Father, one Hail Mary and the I believe in God. Then on the large beads say the following words: Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins, and those of the whole world. On the smaller beads say the following words: For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. After the five decades you are to say these words three times: Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Seek first the Kingdom of God

'Keep on, then, seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these other things [material necessities of life] will be added unto you.' Matthew 6:33

The Grail Prayer

Lord Jesus,
I give you my hands
to do your work.

I give you
my feet
to go your way.

I give you
my eyes
to see as you do.

I give you
my tongue
to speak your words.

I give you
my mind
that you may think in me.

I give you
my spirit
that you may pray in me.

Above all, I give you my heart,
that you may love in me
your Father and all mankind.

I give you
my whole self
that you may grow in me;
so that it is you, Lord Jesus,
who live and work and pray in me.
AMEN.

Trust God

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding...
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3: 5,6

Let us have faith...

Let us have faith
that right makes right;
and in that faith
let us to the end,
dare to do our duty
as we understand it.
Abraham Lincoln, 1809 - 1865

Serenity

Lord, grant me the serenity

to accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change those that I can, and

wisdom to know the difference.

Teach us Lord...

Teach us, Lord,
to serve you as you deserve,
to give and not count the cost,
to fight and not heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labour and not to ask for any reward
save that of knowing that we do your will.
Ignatius Loyola, 1491-1536

Full armour

Put on the full armour of God
so that you can take your stand
against the devil's schemes.
Ephesians 6:11

Do you know God?

This is how men get to know God - by doing his will.
Henry Drummond, 1851-1897

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!
Live the life you've imagined.
Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862

Teaching

I will instruct you and teach you
in the way you should go;
I will counsel you and
watch over you.
Psalm 32:8

To travel

To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.
Robert Lous Stevenson,
1850-1894
Virginibus Puerisque, El Dorado

Always in a hurry?

Hurry is not of the devil,
hurry is the devil.
Jung, (1875-1961)

To be transformed

Let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of you mind.
Then you will be able to know the will of God-
what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
Romans 12:2b

The journey

The longest journey is the journey within.
Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961)