Sowing Seeds and Setting Our Hand to the Task

Sowing Seeds and Setting Our Hand to the Task

By Vickie G. Paver

Ecclesiastes 11: 6 "In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, this or that, Or whether both alike will be good."

When thinking about this verse I asked myself some serious questions. Am I sowing seeds and working for the Lord on a daily basis in a positive way? Am I wasting vast amounts of time spent in being disgruntled and dissatisfied, depressed, digging through the dump and counting the failures of the past? Am I dragging my burdens around, or down for the count (feeling like giving up)? And why would anyone let himself or herself become this way?

I think that our outlook in sowing seeds and perseverance in the daily Christian life depends on our motives. We get discouraged when we fail or think we failed because the outcome wasn't what we had in mind. All of us like appreciation, recognition, and admiration. It makes us feel like we are worthwhile. In contrast, though, if we are only driven by the approval of others, failure will always seem overwhelming. Frequently, we want to give up a ministry or dream that God placed in our hearts. Because of the outcome of our efforts, it seems that perhaps we did not understand what God wanted from us. It hurts when we've been working on a project for days, weeks, or months and the end results aren't what we expected.

The bottom line is that any seed sowing, project or ministry into which we pour our lives must be because we want to please Christ. As the verse above states, "…you do not know which will prosper." Our job is to stay steadfast in Christ and leave the outcome to Him. It isn't the end of the world if we are not appreciated or given recognition for the effort we put into seed sowing. At times, failure may be that stepping-stone we need to go deeper into our relationship with God. Sometimes it may just be a learning experience. After all, we didn't come into this world knowing everything and we certainly won't exit it knowing all either!

Each day brings unexpected difficulties, yet each day also brings special opportunities! Our days are quickly eaten up by time and before we know it the years gone by are just a memory. In our youth or our old age, what we sow or put our hand to will prosper according to God's will, not ours. Perhaps we cannot see the outcome - what God had originally planned. Yet, in His wisdom, He plans and controls the outcome of all of our efforts. At times, God lets us see the fruit of our labor, but not always. We just need to make sure our motives are right, sow the seed and put our hand to the task. God promises to be our strength and shield, steadfast and unwavering shelter in the time of difficulties and storms. And that is enough. May we set our hearts toward Christ ---God Bless You

vpaver@paversnest.com

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