Sowing and Reaping
A weekly devotional by Rev. Alan Thompson
"D E F E N S E"
September 10, 2017
It’s been said, that the best defense is a good offense. So how do we fight back?
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NIV
SOWING: Your best offensive weapon is the Word of God. I know that it seems odd to think of the Bible as a weapon, but in it God reveals His plan of attack against everything and everyone that tries to bring you down. It’s your battle plan; if you don’t read it you won’t know how to fight the battle that literally determines your final destiny. Only by knowing whom you are fighting, where the battle is, and how to defend yourself will you be able to conquer. “If God is with us, who can be against us?”
Reaping: “For the Word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-
edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”. Hebrews 4:12 NIV
"Salvation"
September 3, 2017
I know I’m saved, but what does that mean in my everyday life?
“Put on salvation as your helmet” Ephesians 6:17
Sowing: When you put on the helmet of salvation, you are deliberately protecting your head, and this is a powerful defense against the world. You live with a new perspective because when you trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation, the Holy Spirit began to change your mind. As he works within you, your way of thinking becomes more and more like that of Jesus and begins to stay focused on what is really important.
Reaping: “Therefore. if anyone Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
"Trust"
August 27, 2017
I’m afraid that if I trust God, he will take me someplace I don’t want to go. What can I do about this fear?
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
SOWING: God’s plans are always good plans. His desires for you will fulfill and satisfy you. If your mind and heart are truly in tune with His will, you won’t be going where you don’t want to go. He changes your heart before he adjusts your future plans. Will you let Him change your heart? Since God alone knows the future, who can plan your future better than He?
REAPING: “Who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”
"Using The Gifts That God Has Given to Us"
August 13, 2017
“For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable”
Romans 11:29
SOWING: God gives every person special abilities and spiritual gifts that He intends for them to develop and USE. As you identify these abilities and gifts within yourself, you have three choices. First, you can ignore them. This will leave you unfulfilled and disconnected from God’s purpose for your life. Second, you can use then to advance your own goals and agendas because you will be naturally good in certain areas. And Third, you can put them to their intended use and maximize God’s purpose for you. Using your gifts and abilities to serve God will help you discover your distinctive role among God’s people, and give you greater satisfaction in your life.
REAPING: There are different ways that God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work through all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
"What to Do When We Don't Know What to Do"
August 6, 2017
First and foremost follow the words of the Lord. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go: I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32: NIV
Sowing: When you are faced with the unknown, keep doing what you know what to do: love others, worship God, and obey His Word. The Bible teaches us that God will show us the next step when we need it. God does not reveal everything about His will for us, but He does reveal everything that we need to know to live for Him. We can trust Him with everything next step.
Reaping: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
"Is There Ever a Time to Throw Up Our Hands and Quit?"
July 23, 2017
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
SOWING: There comes a time when it’s wise to quit, particularly when you are doing something wrong or you realize that your actions are futile or are hurting others. But when God has called us to a task and we give up, we can miss the blessings of reaching our goal. Just because God is in something doesn’t automatically make it easy. In fact, the harder the road, the stronger we will become. So if you know that God is leading you in a certain direction, don’t give up just because the going gets tough. (“when the going gets tough, the tough get going”)
REAPING: “The sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk 3:19 NIV
"What Does It Mean That God Delights in Me?"
July 16, 2017
“The Lord will again delight in you and make you prosperous, just as He delighted
in your fathers. If you obey the Lord your God and keep His commandments and
decrees that are written in this book of the law and turn to the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 30: 9b-10
SOWING:
The Lord …. delights in honesty. Proverbs 11:1
The Lord …. delights in those who have integrity. Proverbs 11:20
The Lord …. delights in the prayers of the upright. Proverbs 15:8
The Lord …. delights in pure words. Proverbs 15:26
When you honor Him, obey Him, respond to His love, seek His forgiveness, and
walk daily with Him, you are giving Him gifts that delight Him.
Reaping:
“For the Lord Takes delight in His people; He crowns the humble with
salvation.” Psalm 149:4
"Responding to Our Leaders"
July 9, 2017
SOWING: We must be responsible citizens as well as responsible Christians. Every government is in power because God allows it to be. Therefore, you should work hard to obey the laws of the land. However, you should never allow the government to force you to disobey God. You should not disobey the government for personal reasons, but only for moral reasons when God’s are violated.
“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.” Romans 13: 1&2 NIV
Reaping God’s Promise: “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it- he will be blessed in what he does.”
"God’s Plans Are Not Always Our Plans"
June 25, 2017
What you ought to say, ”If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
We know that God causes “everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose.”
SOWING: Joseph’s willingness to use his gifts to help the Egyptians plan for seven years of famine allowed God’s plan to be fulfilled. While asking God to bless our plans, we should be willing to use our gifts and abilities to join Him in His plans. How do you know what plans God wants you to be a part of? The first step, is to have an open mind and an obedient heart. God ALWAYS blesses obedience, He never blesses disobedience.
REAPING: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
"BLESSINGS"
June 18, 2017
SOWING: God’s blessings are constant whether a person is aware of them or not. Scripture is full of blessings God gives to those who love Him, including His presence, His grace, and His peace. Numbers 6: 24-26, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace.” As a person shares the blessings God has given, he or she blesses others as well.
REAPING: “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9