[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 fifth session in the series, “The Law of Sowing and Reaping”.
God wants to give blessings to His beloved children.
But He cannot just give blessings. There are rules of justice that dictate ‘we reap what we sow’.
Also, when we sow we have to know the proper ways to sow so that we can reap good fruits.
By the way, the most important blessing that we can receive is the prosperity of our soul.
If our soul prospers, we can enjoy the glory of eternal Heaven, and we can receive the answer to whatever we ask.
For this reason, sometimes God waits until your soul prospers before He gives you material blessings or healing.
It’s because in many cases you may suffer spiritual loss if God gives you the material blessing first.
Right after opening of this church one person, who couldn’t walk, received my prayer and came to walk.
He barely had any faith, but at that time God considered my faith and He healed many people who were lacking in their faith.
After this person was healed, he attended church for a couple of weeks, but then he stopped.
When a church worker visited him, he said, “I attended the service a couple of times because I was healed there. Now I have to earn a living, so how can I keep on attending church?”
Before that happened, when I prayed I had asked God to consider my faith and heal those who didn’t have any faith.
But after seeing these things take place, I prayed differently.
I prayed that God would work according to their faith and within the rules of justice.
I understood that it was better for their souls to receive the answers when they had faith, even though it might take much longer.
It’s the same with material blessing. There are people who diligently practice a life of faith when they are poor, but they have a change of heart after they receive blessings.
They commit sins or befriend the world, or completely leave God.
Thus God, who knows the heart of people, gives blessings after waiting for them to grow up in their faith to some extent.
But in any case, it is an infallible rule that we reap what we sow.
We may reap a little earlier or later, but even though we may reap later, there is never a loss from our giving.
If we keep on giving to God with firm faith again and again, He will give us spiritual faith more quickly so we can also receive blessings quickly.
It is a true and greater blessing to receive both spiritual and material blessings together.
James 5:11 says, “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will receive overflowing blessings of God by diligently sowing with unchanging faith.
[Main]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I explained up to the sixth principle in sowing and reaping through the previous sessions.
The seventh secret of sowing and reaping is that when we sow we must sow in the place where it is pleasing to God.
To gain profit from investing in stock market, we have to invest in good companies.
Otherwise, we might even lose our own money.
When you sow the seeds spiritually, if you sow in a place where God is not really pleased, you cannot receive blessings.
For example, when you help the poor, you have to do it according to the will of God.
Proverbs 19:17 says, “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.”
Yes, helping the poor is a way to receive blessings, but if you help those who are being punished for the sins they committed, you will suffer with them.
If you help them even though they keep on committing sins, it is same as helping them disobey God.
We can understand this from the book of Jonah. When the prophet Jonah got onboard a ship to run away, disobeying God, the ship faced a storm.
The sailors found out that it was Jonah who caused the storm to come upon them.
The destination of that ship was in the opposite direction from where God had commanded Jonah to go.
So, the fact of having Jonah onboard the ship in itself was same as helping Jonah disobey God’s will.
Jonah told them it was the will of God to throw him overboard, but they had pity on him and didn’t do that.
Because of that, they had to suffer for a long time and throw all their luggage overboard.
Only when their own lives were threatened did they throw Jonah overboard.
This is not just in helping the needy, but the same goes for giving offerings.
If you give offerings to those who have dissensions and unrighteousness due to works of Satan, God cannot give you blessings.
But if you give to groups or persons that please God, then God can give back to you with joy.
Jesus said in Matthew 10:40-42.
“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. [41] “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. [42] “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.”
If you give to a little one with faith, you can receive the reward from the Lord.
But if you can, it is greater blessing to receive a prophet and a righteous man than just a little one, so you can receive the reward of a prophet and a righteous man.
For example, in Genesis 12:3, God said to Abraham when He made Abraham the source of blessings.
“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Just by being with this man, Abraham, Lot became a very rich person.
Also, because Abraham harbored Lot in his heart, God saved not just Lot, but also his whole family when Sodom was destroyed.
God remembered the person whom Abraham harbored in his heart.
We can see very often in the Bible that those who have a relationship with the beloved ones of God were also blessed.
Furthermore, when those men of God who have the authority to bless or curse others according to the inspiration of the Spirit, those blessings or curses will come upon them.
When men of God pray for blessings for others, they will not just pray for them, but they will cause them prepare their vessels to receive the blessings.
For example, when Isaac blessed Esau with the blessings of the firstborn, he first made him prepare savory food.
Isaac wanted to bless Esau, not as a father blessing his son, but as a man of God giving blessings according to spiritual rules.
In 1 Samuel chapter 9, before Saul became the king, he went to a foreseer to ask about his ways to take, and he prepared the offerings.
It’s because he knew the law of sowing and reaping.
In addition to these examples, we can find many occasions in the Bible where people gave to men of God and reaped great blessings.
1 Kings 17 writes about a widow who served Elijah in severe drought and gained much food.
The whole nation was suffering from the drought, and this widow had only a handful of flour and a little oil.
She could have made bread with it and eaten it with her son, and then wait for death.
But Elijah said in 1 Kings 17:13-14.
“Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son. [14] “For thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth.'”
With common sense, it would be such a shameful thing to ask her to give her last meal.
But Elijah had the conviction in heart.
He had the faith that she would receive blessings by serving a man of God.
That is why he could ask her to give him the most precious food she had.
In fact, she believed the promise of God and obeyed. Then she experienced something amazing.
She had food until the drought was over and saved her son’s life just by offering one meal. Thus, she reaped so much more than what she gave.
Also, in 2 Kings chapter 4, we read about the Shunammite woman.
She served Elisha the best way she could and wanted nothing in return. Because of what she did she received a great blessing.
She didn’t have a son until she was quite old, but she had a son.
When her son suddenly died, because she went to Elisha, she received back the life of her son.
Though I cannot explain about it in much detail, this woman later received a great material blessing by following Elisha.
She almost lost her land and the harvest from the land, but finally received it back.
Today, those who know the passageway of blessings serve the servants of God.
There was a person I knew. When she finished harvesting the first fruit, she gave to God first, and then gave some to the pastor of her church.
Galatians 6:6 says, “The one who is taught the word is to share all good things with the one who teaches him.” As said, she enjoyed serving servants of God with good things she had.
Those unbelievers who knew her said, “You are poor because you are doing that.” But later, God blessed her for all her service.
God blessed her financially, and especially her children became pastors being used for the kingdom of God.
Brothers and sisters, many of you here come to receive my prayer in my residence or the church every week or every month.
Because so many people from both in country and out of the country ask me to pray for them, it’s not easy to remember your names just by seeing you a couple of times.
But I can automatically remember some people even though I don’t try to.
They show their faith and devotion, and their attitude does not change for years.
Soon, I see those people giving testimonies of blessings. It is God’s work.
If any of such people do not receive blessings or the answer to their desires for a long time, I become desperate for them.
I ask God about the ways for them to receive answers, and I try to help them myself.
Also, when these members bring offerings to receive my prayer, I give most of those offerings directly to God.
I give for missionary works, charitable works, church construction, and other things needed for His kingdom.
This way, I am trying to let their offerings that are given to a servant of God, be given for God’s kingdom as well, so that they will receive greater blessings.
Brothers and sisters, being a shepherd of the flock, when I feel the aroma of love and faithfulness from my sheep, I want to do anything I can to help them.
And just imagine how desperately God would want to bless you! He really does want to bless you for everything you sow.
But to receive blessings, be sure to remember that you have to be wise and sow in places where God is pleased.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in order for you to receive blessings as you sow, the eighth secret is that you have to be faithful to the kingdom of God.
In other words, this also means you have to be diligent in your life in faith all the time.
God never forgets those who are faithful to the kingdom of God.
We have church members who are very busy with their own businesses but perform their multiple duties in the church as well.
And they say, “I do God’s work, and God does my work.”
They met God and received blessings while they were in a very difficult situation, and thus, no matter how busy they are, they cannot neglect God-given duties.
As they ask with faith being faithful to God, He lets them find trustworthy employees and makes their companies stand more firmly.
Of course, if you are truly offering spiritual faithfulness, you don’t just work physically.
You worship in spirit and truth, and you pray fervently without ceasing.
When God sees such believers who love God and are faithful to Him, He does not just receive that faithfulness.
Most assuredly, He gives them blessings so they can also give glory to Him.
For example, one of our elders is receiving a great blessing working in the field of insurance.
He was guided to our church and met God when he was an alcoholic and in a dire situation.
Soon after he received grace and changed, he began to play the bass guitar for Daniel prayer meeting, and he has been doing his duty for the past 15 years.
Even when he was so tired and wanted to rest, he couldn’t do that because of his duty.
There were many kinds of trials for those many years, but he fulfilled his duty with all his strength.
Also, when he was entrusted with other duties in the mission groups, he fulfilled them with his best efforts.
He began working in insurance about 5 years after he began to play the guitar. From that time on, God began to pay back his faithfulness with material blessings.
He had never done work in sales, and being introversive, he didn’t know how to talk in front of people. But, God provided him with amazing achievements.
His tithes increased day by day, and he was promoted as an executive officer of his company.
He used to be an alcoholic and a dreg of society, but he received great financial blessings as well as social position and family evangelization.
This is the kind of blessing that God is giving to those who are faithful.
But there are some who are faithful before they receive blessings, but after they receive blessings, they get busy with their businesses, and they neglect their duties.
In most of these cases, they do not just neglect their duties, but their life in faith itself changes.
They lose the grace in worship service, and they skip prayers little by little.
They used to come before their shepherd often, but they don’t any more.
As their fervor cools down, they compromise with the world. To earn more money, they even do the things that do not please God.
Then, when God finally turns His face away from them, their business falls in a moment and they might even get a disease.
Sometimes, I am suddenly reminded of somebody and notice that I haven’t seen him for some time. Then, a little later, he comes with some form of repentance.
I hope you will not be one of these persons.
As explained above, the most important thing is the spiritual blessing.
The foolish rich man built a new storehouse, filled it with wheat and rejoiced. But, what did God say to him?
Luke 12:20 says, “You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?”
I urge you in the name of the Lord that none of you will become one of these foolish persons who disappoint God by being blinded by meaningless wealth.
[Conclusion]
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, so far, I explained eight secrets of sowing and reaping. Let us review it briefly.
First, we have to cultivate our heart.
Second, we have to keep the Sunday holy and give proper tithes.
Third, we must not ask with greed.
Fourth, we have to walk the right way.
Fifth, we can reap much when we sow much.
Sixth, our faith and deeds must not change.
Seventh, we have to sow in the place where it is pleasing to God. And eighth, we have to be faithful in God’s kingdom.
Reflecting upon yourselves with these eight things, do you think you have prepared your vessels to receive blessings?
If you lack anything you can just fill it up. If you had an urge that you needed to do something listening to these messages, you can just do it.
So far, you have been diligently sowing and reaping in your Christian lives.
But through the message given in this past Lunar New Year, God promised us that you will realize and change the things that you couldn’t realize before within your limitations.
I urge you to make yourself perfect in these spiritual blessings so that you can sow with the aroma of heart that can really please God.
In doing so, I hope you will experience a blessing in different dimension from this year 2010.
I pray in the name of the Lord that, until the day the Lord comes back, your life will be filled with the voice of giving glory to God with joy saying, “God has worked amazingly in my life!”
[Amen!]
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