Wednesday's Big Idea - Sowing and Reaping for 2006

I'm playing catch-up here, but Wednesday had such a great big idea that it would be wrong to overlook it. We were led by Roy, who is the senior of the group at 61, but with age has come much wisdom. He presented several scriptures having to do with reaping and sowing, planting and harvesting. These are in the context of "what will we be sowing and reaping in 2006?" I will list the scriptures below, but before that I want to start with three questions which he gave us to think about:

1. Do you have an idea of what God's "harvest" or destiny is for your life on earth - your life vision?
2. Do you have an idea of what seeds He is wanting to sow into your life in 2006?
3. Do you have an idea of what seeds in the areas of the Word, time, finances and relationships He is calling you to sow into your life and through your life to others in 2006?

These are powerful questions and important ones. Seeking answers to them will help us to remain focused on what God has for our lives, rather than wander aimlessly through the year. Proverbs 3:5-6 says:

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

It's a well-know verse but worthy of meditation. The last part of verse six can be translated as "...will direct your paths." I don't think Solomon was simply making a metaphor for righteousness. I believe he really means the paths of our lives. As we trust in the LORD, lean on His understanding and acknowledge him in all of our ways, our lives will be directed down the paths He chooses for us. Our life passions will be activated, the means to achieve our purposes will be provided and the answers to the above questions will be clarified. This process isn't necessarily a quick one, but it is one that will bring a great harvest.

Here are the verses which Roy gave us (by no means an exhaustive list):

Genesis 8:22

As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.

Isaiah 55:10-11

¹⁰ As the rain and the snow
come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish,
so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

¹¹ so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty,
but will accomplish what I desire
and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.

2 Corinthians 9:6-11

⁶Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹As it is written:
"He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."^{[a] 10}Now 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. ¹¹You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

Galatians 6:7-9

⁷Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. ⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature^[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

John 12:24

²⁴I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

Matthew 13:23 (parable of the sower)

²³But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."

Finally, here's a chart that illustrates the ideas of sowing, gestation and harvest. The seeds often seem tiny, the gestation period long, but the harvest is inevitably huge.

Sowing	Gestation Period	Harvest
Noah - 120 years, ark Joseph - 13 years, prison You in 2006: Your resources (seed): Time The Word Finances Relationships	Intimacy with God Prayer Worship Waiting upon God Persevering Steadfastness Faith Testing	Preservation of creation Preservation of a nation Your destiny on earth

I hope that helps you think about and focus on what 2006 has in store for you. I know it has already been immensely useful for me.