[Passage]
Galatians 6:7-9
“Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap. [8] For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. [9] Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.”
[Introduction]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
This is the third session on Law of Sowing and Reaping.
In order for you to abundantly reap whatever you sow in this year of reaping, 2010, in the last session I explained to you two things you should do.
First, we have to cultivate our heart, and we have to keep the Sunday holy and give proper tithes.
One thing we have to remember is the basic principle of receiving blessings. It is that all things will go well with us as our soul prospers.
we lead a good life of faith, we receive not only financial blessings, but all kinds of blessings. But the purpose of leading a life in faith is not just to receive blessings on this earth.
We do not cultivate our heart, keep the Sunday holy, or give proper tithes just to receive financial blessings.
We just do our duty as saved children of God because we love God.
But when the children fulfill their duties as children, the parents do not take it for granted but they become happy and thankful.
God the Father will also be happy and bless His children when they love God and dwell in the truth.
But God generally doesn’t give blessings unconditionally as He desires. He gives them according to what is sown and according to the rules of justice.
I hope you will sow the seed and care for it in a way that pleases God and according to the rules of the justice, so that you will receive abundant blessings.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will experience in your daily lives the grace of the Father God who is full of love.
Main
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the third secret to reap what we sow is that we must not ask with greed.
There is a saying that says:
If you want to be rich, you must not follow money, but you have to make money follow you.
If we have an obsession over money, we will become impatient.
Then, we will lose our sense of judgment and walk away from the right way of doing things. As a result, we are likely to suffer a great loss.
In order for us to receive financial blessings in Christian faith, we must first rid ourselves of greed.
Greed is idolatry, which God hates very much.
Matthew 6:24 says, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
We have to choose only one side: either God or the money.
In our Christian life, we may face a situation where we have to choose between seeking our benefit, or choosing what is good and proper, despite the loss that will incur.
In this situation, erroneously thinking that God will understand us, we are likely to do what is not in accordance with the truth if we have greed.
Also, we see some people change their faith due to their greed.
For example, when the income is small, they give proper tithes. But, as their income increases, their tithe seems like much more money and they feel stingy about giving proper tithes and stop giving it.
God was giving them blessings seeing their diligence in Christian life, but now God cannot help but stop giving them blessings.
The reason why we ask for financial blessings is not for ourselves to enjoy more things.
1 Timothy 6:7-8 says, “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. [8] If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.”
Even if we accumulate so much wealth and store it up on this earth, it is useless once we go to Heaven.
Therefore, we only have to give glory to God by receiving blessings and ask for wealth to save more souls.
We should ask for financial blessings, but not with greed, but for the kingdom of God.
Then, what kind of heart do we have to have in order not to ask with greed?
First, we must not have a desire for anything that is not our own.
If we have greed, we will be interested when we hear that we can gain some income without working, or we can get a great amount of money easily. This way we are apt to be cheated by evil people.
If we really rely on God, our heart must not be shaken by such words that agitate our greed.
Suppose a piece of gold as big as a soccer ball is on the street. Even so, we must not even begin to want it if it’s not ours.
Then we will not be tempted by anything but we will only go the way to which God guides us.
Next, we must think about what we want to spend the money for once we receive blessings.
When I received divine healing for the first time, my wish was that I could become a rich elder of the church.
It was not for me to eat, wear, and have good things, but it was so I could help the needy as much as I wanted to.
In fact, even though I wouldn’t receive great blessings, it wouldn’t have mattered to me at all.
As Paul said he knew how to get along with humble means, and also how to live in prosperity, my life was full of grace of salvation, and I was just thankful with or without financial blessings.
But I prayed with the desire to give glory to God, help the needy, and also to extend the kingdom of God by receiving financial blessings.
A long time has passed since then, but my heart never changed.
I am thankful whether God gives to me or not, but most of the things that God gives to me, I give it for the kingdom and glory of God.
I hardly spend anything for myself.
For this reason, I am always confident before God even when I ask of God for something so great.
Next, if we do not have greed, we will ask according to the justice by receiving the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but not with impatience.
Some people give 100,000 won monthly tithe, but they receive my prayer to make it 1 million won tithe.
Of course, it is good to have faith to receive great blessings, but they cannot just receive such blessings right away.
They have to take each step by increasing it to 200,000 won, 300,000 won and so on.
It is not faith to ask of God as if we were pressing God, ignoring the steps with our own thoughts and impatience.
In some cases, because their businesses are going well, they get a loan and increase their business without considering the matters carefully.
Or, because one thing is going well, they begin another thing. They just try to expand their business this way without thinking about the situation.
As they begin so many works, they cannot focus on even one thing, and finally they face difficult situations.
Of course, these people will say, “We want to give it to God as we receive blessings.”
But even though they want to give to God, expanding their business rashly itself proves that they have greed.
They must be able to discern whether it is they who are deciding things on their own or it is God who is leading them.
If we are over-motivated, or if we want to do everything that is said to be good, then in most cases it is our greed that blocks the voice of the Holy Spirit.
James 4:2-3 says, “You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
I hope you will keep this passage in mind, cast away greed, and sow in faith following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Then, God will also lead you to the way of blessings and answer you as you ask.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the fourth secret to reap as we sow is that we have to walk the right way.
We have to act only with integrity and faithfulness.
We must keep not only the law of God but also the law of the country.
Only then will God be able to keep you, too.
We must not employ an expedient, cheat others, or walk away from the truth in order to gain easy benefit.
Even in this world, it is difficult for those who do not walk the right way to succeed.
For example, in a rice shop, or a textile shop, the sellers may use dishonest means of measure.
They act like they are giving more for the price, but in fact they give less than the value using some tricks.
They may get an extra profit for the moment, but in long-term it is rather a loss.
Soon their dishonesty will be revealed, and customers will stay away from such shops.
On the other hand, think about those shops where they have honest measures.
In the beginning it may seem they have little profit, but as time goes the news will spread and they will have more and more regular customers.
As is the case in worldly business, integrity and faithfulness is even more important in the Lord.
You’ve heard many times about how faithful Jacob was when he was tending the flock of his uncle.
He tended the cattle in cold and hot weather, day and night, without much sleep, and if any animal was stolen or taken by wild beasts, he paid for it.
It was not even his own flock, but he was so faithful in his work. That is why he could receive blessings of God.
Jacob’s son Joseph was also a very faithful man.
He was sold into another country as a slave, but he was not the kind of person who did only what was given to him without a measure of dedication.
He was so faithful and wise in his works that the master did not even check what was entrusted to Joseph.
Because he was such a person God could open a way of great blessing for him.
After making him a great vessel through the trials, God set him up as the Prime Minister of the entire land of Egypt.
Colossians 3:23-24 says, “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, [24] knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve.”
Even though he served a Gentile, he walked the right way and was faithful believing in God, and God paid him back with blessings.
However, even though we know much truth and pray a lot, God cannot bless us if we do not walk the right way.
Those who are faithful in little things can be entrusted with greater things, too.
Those who are honest and faithful before people can also be acknowledged to be truthful before God, too.
God always wants to open the way of blessing for us. But if we do not have honesty and faithfulness, we cannot make it our own blessing.
Brothers and sisters, I urge you to keep two things in mind at this point.
It is something I always advise you.
First, in the church we must not exchange any money among the brothers in faith.
We must not conduct business and make such requests as, “There is a business with bright future, so lend me some money,” or “Invest your money with me,” and we must not respond to such requests either.
We are not even supposed to talk about worldly business in the church.
If there is any money exchange among the church members, Satan will surely bring accusation because of it.
Even though you begin with a good intention, later you will have uncomfortable situations. You may even fall into tests or stumble.
How can God be pleased with such people and bless them?
The second thing is that you must not be a financial guarantor for anybody.
The Bible several times tells us not to be a guarantor. Let us look up a couple of passages.
Proverbs 11:15 says, “He who is guarantor for a stranger will surely suffer for it, But he who hates being a guarantor is secure.” Proverbs 22:26 says, “Do not be among those who give pledges, among those who become guarantors for debts.”
Proverbs 6:1-5 also says that if you have become a guarantor for your neighbor, you have to quickly go to the neighbor and continually and repeatedly ask him to be released.
It tells us that we have to deliver ourselves like a gazelle is delivered from a hunter, or a bird is released from the captivity of a net.
But to undo the guarantee is much more difficult than to refuse to be a guarantor, so we must not accept such a request in the first place.
It’s not only with unbelievers but also with the brothers in faith. We must not ask any brother to be our guarantor.
However, even though I advise you so many times, there are people who put themselves in difficult situations by becoming guarantors.
They say they couldn’t help it because of their friendship, or because that person was in such a desperate situation and he was trustworthy.
But who can know the future things?
If they become a guarantor just because they cannot overcome the momentary sympathy, then they suffer for a long time.
They come to me to pray for them, but trials follow them because they did not keep the word of God.
Being unable to refuse such a request is not goodness at all.
It is rather to disobey the word of God. It is such a foolish thing like gambling, for you are putting your wealth and the comfort of your family at jeopardy.
If you are really wealthy enough, you can just give it, without wanting to receive it back.
In order to receive blessings and also to avoid calamities, I urge you not to become guarantors for anything.
Brothers and sisters, let me read a testimony which was on the Manmin News, among so many other testimonies of blessings.
“I had worked at an automobile repair shop and during my time there, I was recognized for my diligence and integrity. However, the actual income was not much.
Encouraged by the Senior Pastor’s word, “If a soul prospers, he will still receive God’s blessings no matter how terrible the economy is doing,” I quit to my job to start my own business.
From that point on, I made growing my faith a priority and made every effort to please God without involving fleshly thoughts.
I tried to detach myself from an idle life in Christ while reading the Senior Pastor’s book Hell, and solidified my spiritual foundation through prayer at the nightly Daniel Prayer Meeting.
At first, I wanted to do a big business and receive blessings.
As I listened to the Senior Pastor’s messages, however, I realized that to recklessly borrow money and expand a business is from greed. So, I left the matters with God praying for His guidance.
Then the head of the shop I had quit asked me to take over the shop, and offered it to me at a really good price.
Certain that this was God’s answer to my prayer, I took over the shop in July 2007.
Instead of harboring greed to earn as much money as I could, I strove to obey God’s word I had heard through the Senior Pastor, including “Always seek goodness and walk on the right path,” and “Be sure to obey the law of this world.”
Even at times when it was disadvantageous to me, I processed each transaction with honesty.
Some customers would say, “Other shops just do what customers ask of them. Why isn’t that the case here?” and demand something inappropriate.
However, I have seen customers return many times even after I had refused to honor such requests.
When customers tried to lower the price for the service, I chose not to argue with them but did whatever they asked and sought peace.
After such instances, God always made sure to give me more profitable situations.
Following the right path in running the business was not as difficult as I had thought.
At first, it did feel a drawback but God showed me the path to blessings as I kept concentrating on staying on that path.
About six months after starting the business to which I diligently sought to apply the Word, about 70-80% of customers became regulars and the customer base has been increasing through the word of mouth.
Even if I don’t accept dinner invitations with customers or run marketing campaigns, God has sent me a greater number of customers so that my tithes have increased tenfold.
Recently, foreign-vehicle-only dealerships have entrusted my firm with many paint jobs and I look forward to an even greater source of income.
Customers often say, “I know you guys here don’t rip off customers so I can trust you. Plus, you are very good at what you do!”
Some of my employees even say, “Thanks to my boss who believes in God from his heart, this business is blessed.”
All this is because of God’s grace and love, and because of Senior Pastor who has taught me the truth and led me onto the path to blessings.
I also thank my pastor in charge and fellow members for their prayer.”
Brothers and sisters, just by hearing this testimony, we can understand how God blesses those children who keep their faith and walk the right way.
I hope you will also act in the truth and sow the seeds of integrity and faithfulness, so that you can reap abundant fruits.
Conclusion
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, some people criticize those who ask God for blessings, as if it were something wrong.
They say we must not ask for any material blessings, but we must only look up to Heaven.
But 2 Corinthians 8:9 says, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Jesus redeemed us from the curse of sin by shedding His blood and dying on a tree. In the same way, He redeemed us from poverty by living a life in poverty Himself.
He made it possible that we can receive whatever we ask in the name of the Lord.
It’s just that we must not ask with greed but for the glory of God.
Also, we have to act with integrity and faithfulness while walking the right path with faith.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will act in this way and receive abundant blessings on this earth, contribute to the kingdom of God, and fill up your storehouses in Heaven by diligently sowing and reaping.
[Amen]
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