Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
- 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)
The soil was tilled and the seeds carefully planted. The spring rains were timely, and with proper care our garden flourished. We canned 50 jars of green beans and were able to provide buckets of beans to others. When the yield slowed and the weeds started to thrive, I decided to till the ground, turning under what remained.
More good rains followed, and in about two weeks volunteer beans began to grow where the tilling process had planted mature seeds. Now, though it is past the normal season for beans, we are able again to share this bountiful crop with others.
The Bible has many teachings on bearing fruit as witnesses for God wherever we are. Jesus used parables about nature or daily life to teach spiritual truth. In Matthew 13, he described the one who receives seed on the good ground as someone who hears and accepts the word and bears fruit, even a hundredfold.
Just as God provided the bountiful crop in the prepared garden in the parable, God will help us to grow and mature and become fruitful witnesses to the Kingdom. Jesus reminds us that we did not choose him, but he chose us to go and bear fruit that will last. (See John 15:16.) Then we are able to share this fruit with others.
Thought for the Day:
How am I prepared to bear fruit as a witness for God?
Prayer: Lord of heaven, help us to be bold, wise, and faithful in our witness. Amen.
Prayer Focus: GARDENERS
The scripture quotation, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2016 by The Upper Room, a ministry of GBOD. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute without written permission from the publisher
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
The soil was tilled and the seeds carefully planted. The spring rains were timely, and with proper care our garden flourished. We canned 50 jars of green beans and were able to provide buckets of beans to others. When the yield slowed and the weeds started to thrive, I decided to till the ground, turning under what remained.
More good rains followed, and in about two weeks volunteer beans began to grow where the tilling process had planted mature seeds. Now, though it is past the normal season for beans, we are able again to share this bountiful crop with others.
The Bible has many teachings on bearing fruit as witnesses for God wherever we are. Jesus used parables about nature or daily life to teach spiritual truth. In Matthew 13, he described the one who receives seed on the good ground as someone who hears and accepts the word and bears fruit, even a hundredfold.
Just as God provided the bountiful crop in the prepared garden in the parable, God will help us to grow and mature and become fruitful witnesses to the Kingdom. Jesus reminds us that we did not choose him, but he chose us to go and bear fruit that will last. (See John 15:16.) Then we are able to share this fruit with others.
Thought for the Day:
How am I prepared to bear fruit as a witness for God?
Prayer: Lord of heaven, help us to be bold, wise, and faithful in our witness. Amen.
Prayer Focus: GARDENERS
The scripture quotation, unless otherwise indicated, is from the NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2016 by The Upper Room, a ministry of GBOD. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce or redistribute without written permission from the publisher
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