A Generous Life Part 4

A Generous Life (Seed and Bread)

2 Cor 9:8-11, 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work…10 He who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11  You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, ESV

Up until the 17th Century, especially in the West…the bible was read Communally and out loud.  The scripture was originally intended to be read aloud and not in silence…

So let me read these verses again…you not looking at the screen, just listening…did the verses land differently! 

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God…”

See I would encourage you when you read the scripture daily…read a portion aloud to hear yourself reading it.

So often we focus solely on the seed but today I want to draw our attention to both the seed and the bread…

Purpose of Seed

The story in Corinth is “He, God, gives seed to the Sower…”

Luke 6:38, 38  give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”ESV

Prov 11:24, 24  One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. ESV

  • Seed is for sowing and not for eating…
  • Seed is about tomorrow’s crop and tomorrow’s harvest…
    1. If you eat all of your seed, you have nothing planted for your future…
    2. See it is foolish to plant your bread and equally foolish to eat your seed…
  • Seed is our generosity…and honestly the church and even me at times have done a good job at modeling and teaching on the seed…
    1. We must discern what we have been entrusted with and ask…is this seed or bread!
    2. When it will produce your future harvest…that is seed
    3. Bread is for personal consumption for the glory of God…
    4. Because if I plant bread, it doesn’t grow…only seed grows!
  • As well as the church as done on teaching and modeling seed…we / I haven’t done as good a job in teaching about bread and modeling bread….
    1. If I give a beautiful gift to Jonna and she displays it or wears it in public…I am thrilled that she enjoys it because I got it for her…
    2. When I sacrifice for something so I can provide for my kids, whether it is for my sons or daughters-in-love…, and they recognize it as bread and enjoy it…it brings me as the gift giver great Joy.
  • Our heavenly Father is the same way…He delights in Abundance for you…He provides Bread for Consumption…for your enjoyment!

Assignment of Bread and Seed

Bread and seed have an assignment attached to them…

Eccl 11:1-4, 11 1 Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you. 2 But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. 3 When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. 4 Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. NLT

  • Solomon would send out ships of grain…and diversify his investments by putting grain on 7 or 8 ships…not knowing which ones would actually return a profit
  • This is where we get the ole saying: “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
  • Daniel Webster said “Farmers are the foundation of Civilization.”
  • Thomas Jefferson remarked that “Farmers are chosen people of God.”

Here the scripture is telling us…

  • You cannot wait for perfect conditions to plant your crops…you can’t wait for perfect conditions to reap your harvest!
  • It is the law of Reciprocity. Genesis 8:22 declares “as long as the earth remains there is seed time and harvest…”if this spiritual law is violated; the law of reciprocity is violated. Anything that takes more than it produces will not last.
    • I don’t care if it is a relationship
    • If it’s a job
    • No matter what it is…if it takes more than it gives…it is violating the law of reciprocity and it’s going to fail
    • Have you ever had those folks that you get around who drain you…they never bring anything to the table, all they do is take…and when they leave you are exhausted…
    • The law of reciprocity was broken…
    • Bread is for your current need…seed is for tomorrows or future need!
    • So locked into every dollar is seed and bread…
      1. The tithe is nothing more than seed…
      2. Savings however is seed…
  • So budgeting is 10% is seed that I tithe
  • Another 10% is seed for my future…
  • The remainder is bread….

 

Nothing will destroy your seed and your bread like Impatience

  • Now Impatience and frustration are nothing more than anger: anger over a present limitation…
  • Bitterness is anger over past disappointments
  • Anxiety is anger over future uncertainties
    1. Sometimes we look at our present limitations and it frustrates us and causes us to be angry
    2. Unreal Expectations
      • There is a story in the bible of a man who desired to see figs on his tree the very first year…he is so impatient and frustrated he tells his servant to cut it down…the servant asks the Master for some patience and let him work the tree…
      • A fig tree never produces fruit in its first year…never
  • The second year is optional…some do and many more don’t
  • The third year is when there is a better chance to see some fruit

Impatience of the Owner

  1. There is a danger in expecting too much too fast
  2. It takes time to become fruitful
  3. Don’t get impatient with your seed and bread…

Here is my point…don’t make rash emotional decisions with your seed and your bread!

  • Seed – Almonds
    1. I have mentioned that there are two extremes in Church in regard to Money and Spirituality…and I’ve built my case that both of these extremes are wrong…
      1. One such extreme is: Your faith and spirituality is measured by your wealth…the more money the more spiritual or faith.  Rubbish!
      2. But also: Our Faith and spirituality isn’t measured by how poor we are…poverty isn’t an indicator you are more spiritual than someone else.
    2. So, My contention has been we need to Pray: “Lord thy kingdom come thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”
      1. “When we pray thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven…” we are asking God to invade earth…
    3. Now I have contended for years that God is Spherical in His thoughts and approach…so when we ask His Kingdom to draw near to our world…we are asking for an intersection of two spheres…
      1. The sphere of Earth or more so our little world…the things, people and places that encompass our “world” makeup…
      2. And God’s World…
    4. The space created in this collision or coming together is a Mandoria
    6. I want you to pay attention to this…the Mandoria is in the shape of an almond…which Mandoria in Italian, actually translates Almond
      1. Almonds are both fruit and seed…
      2. When we ask God to come near…he brings with Him both Fruit (Bread) and Seed…

Now I could go off on the Almond tree and Aaron’s rod…which was an Almond branch…because when it budded it produced Almonds…it was the place heaven and earth came together for God to demonstrate His Power and Provision…

  1. Type of seeds
    1. Words are seeds to God because they have the ability to produce
    2. Faith is a seed as is referred to as such in the Word…matter of fact every man has been given a measure of Faith.
  • People are referred to as seeds
  1. Money is a seed in the Word

So, when we pray “Thy Kingdom Come thy will be done…” we are asking God to come near and produce or deposit a seed

Let me conclude with this story I heard recently…at Oxford University in the dinning hall there are some massive Oak beams…well these beams after 500 years became infested with beetles…knowing they needed to be replaced they searched far and wide looking for Oaks that could replace these beetly beams…then as Stewart Brand recounts, they went to the College Forester and inquired where they may find some Oaks that would qualify for replacing these compromised beams…the Forester looked at the men and said we were wondering when you’d come asking…Looking a bit puzzled the men looked at the forester and asked for an explanation. The forester replied, Gentlemen we have paperwork that says over 500 years ago a when the College was founded, a grove of oaks had been planted to replace the beams in the dining hall when they become beetly.  The plan has been passed down from one Forester to the next of rover 500 years with instructions:  You are not to cut down these oaks.  They are for the College Hall.”

  • I don’t care how beetly your theology may get…”He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase your harvest…”
    • Can I tell you one more thing…
      • Jesus tells us He is both
        1. Seed and the Bread of Life…
      • My question is have you asked Him to come near…

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