Sowing Seed

For the boyz and lil' girl. Some ponderings.

I've been reading a lot on financial principles and wanted to pass on a few thoughts. First, think about gravity. Gravity is invisible. We drop a ball and it falls to the ground, but nobody really knows how that happens. It's just the God created this world to operate on certain principles, and so it happens. Second, we don't have to know how or why gravity works in order to take advantage of it. We've all seen children playing on a see-saw; one going up and the other going down. They don't stop to think why they are going down, but they can enjoy it nonetheless.

Well, money is like that. It operates along certain invisible principles. One of those principles is that when you give money away, you get more money back. The Gentleman who created the universe said it this way,

"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." (Luke 6:38)


The Lord Jesus was telling us how the world operates. Think of the first time he explained farming to father Adam. That must have been some conversation!

'Now, Adam, if you want more corn or wheat for next year, you have to throw some of it in the backyard this year.'

'Huh? That sounds crazy. Why don't I just hold on to what I have?'

'Trust me. I designed things to work this way.'


But it's not enough to just throw the seed in the backyard because some of it might land on a rock or a patch of hard ground or it might be devoured by birds.

"A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold." (Luke 8:5-8)

This is why some folks give to the church for years but never prosper. Their church is hard ground. It's not fruitful for the Kingdom of God. It has a name that it lives, but it is dead. And, sometimes the preacher is just one more bird trying to devour their hard-earned cash.

And, many churches are extremely wealthy, but the Lord says, "he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want." (Prov. 22:16) Your tithes and offerings might be working against you!

Where then is the good ground on which to sow? The poor are a good ground into which to sow. And, they're everywhere!

"He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again." (Prov. 19:17)

The word used for poor in this verse literally means door in the sense of hanging on a hinge, or dangling like the leaf of a book. The poor, if you don't know who they are, are the ones whose lives hang by a thread. The poor are not welfare moms with big screen t.v.'s and 4G cell phones. The poor are the destitute. They are the homeless. They are the ones who are holding onto the slimmest bits of life trying to survive. In Matthew 25:40, the Lord calls them "the least of these." The least. The lowest. The untouchables.


I always think of Tony Robbins who grew up very poor. One year, some kind-hearted strangers brought his family a turkey for Thanksgiving. Tony was so moved that he saved up his money so that he could give away a turkey himself the following year. The year after that, he gave away two. Today, the Anthony Robbins Foundation gives away millions of dollars in food each year to the poor.

This man is now worth over $480 million. I don't think he's a Christian, but I do think that he accidentally stumbled across one of the Lord's principles for making money: give to the poor.


Another point that I would like to add for the boyz and lil' girl. When you give, do it in Jesus' name. If you give $5 to the local mission, put a note in it that says the money is from the Lord Jesus who loves the poor. By doing this, you are attaching God's glory to the seed.

We are stewards of the Lord's stuff. When we give in our own name that is like Bill Gates' assistant giving away Bill Gates' money but using the name John Smith. It robs Bill of the bragging rights, but it also robs the seed of Bill Gates' reputation. For example, if John Smith makes a million dollar donation to an obscure foundation, it will go unnoticed. But, if Bill Gates' makes the same donation the press will pick up on it. Other wealthy men will consider giving to this little known foundation as well; the million dollars might turn into two million, or ten million. That is the power of the name of Bill Gates.

So it is with our money. Attach the True Owner's name to your giving. In the spiritual world, this will make a difference.

Don't ask me how. It just will.

"The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up." (I Samuel 2:7)

Be Bold, Buddy

In the book of Joshua chapter 1, we find Moses dying and Joshua receiving the command to lead the people into the Promised Land. The Promised Land is a place of plenty. It is literally what the people have been dreaming about for years. It is their heart's desire.

What does a person need to achieve their greatest dream? Is it intelligence? Is it passion? Is it a sense of duty?

We are only six verses into the book when the Lord God speaks to Joshua,

"Be strong and of a good courage."

This word is so important that the Lord repeats it to Joshua in the very next verse:

"Only be thou strong and very courageous" (v. 7)

And then after a few words of instruction, the Lord repeats it again,

"Be strong and of a good courage"(v. 9)

And, just in case Joshua was missing the point, the Lord adds,

"be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed" (v. 9)

The Lord does not say, Keep your guard up, study hard, or take your vitamins. He doesn't say, Get up early, dress for success, make friends and influence people. The Lord tells Joshua that the key to success is courage. Are you being courageous, or are you holding back?

For years, I was told that the key to success was mediating on God's word, as found in verse 8. But it's not. Success is found when we apply God's word, and that takes courage.

Dani Johnson, millionaire for Jesus, says that God will bless any business that glorifies his name. She speaks of Jesus, gives in Jesus' name, and glorifies Him every chance she gets. She is bold.

Are you?

My boss owns a roofing and siding company. We do a million dollars in sales every year, and we're growing. He also speaks of Jesus, prays with customers, and gives in Jesus' name every chance he gets. He barely graduated from high school and he has a past that should hold him back. But he's bold for God, and he is prospering.

Are you?