What Does the Bible Say About Spiritual Seeds?

Rows upon rows of furrowed soil stretched between the creek bed and an old corral. Each mound reached eagerly toward heaven, thin strands of green poking above the surface in one area like thinning hair on a man’s scalp. Another section boasted folds of miniature, lace-like fronds surrounding one another.

Conical metal spires provided refuge for tender tomato blossoms–their yellow faces welcoming the Montana sun. These plants represented the good seeds my mother had planted, but some failed to grow. They were defective or compromised.

In the same way, our spiritual lives foster the growth of spiritual seeds. But are we planting good or bad spiritual seeds or able to distinguish between the two?

 

What Happens to the Wheat and the Tares?

 

In Matthew 13:24-29, Christ taught his disciples about a future event every Christian anticipates, harvest. Farmers, and gardeners, rejoice in a bountiful crop. But when blight, hail, or infestation invades, the outcome is different.

Consider Christ’s words,

“The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

“The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

“‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

“‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First, collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

The verses delineate between the owner and enemy and we recognize those who sow good and bad seeds. But what becomes less clear is the differentiation between the wheat and the tares. Almost indistinguishable, one mimics the other in height, shape, and color.

One sweltering summer day, my mother sent me to hoe several sections of the garden. The sun hung, unmoving, in the cloudless sky as blisters swelled and protested with each thrust and tug of the narrow length of wood and metal in my hands. Finally, I reached the last row. Not recognizing a clump of plants, I decided they must be some sort of weed. In one fell swoop, I eliminated an entire crop of carrots.

Our Father, though, distinguishes between bad seed and good seed. Even when the enemy “corrupts the people of God”, He knows those who belong to and love Him. When plants are fully grown, their fruit is revealed. They are ripe for harvest and will either be gathered or destroyed.

 

Seven Amazing Bible Verses About Sowing and Reaping

 

Sixty-two verses mark a trail throughout scripture, highlighting the importance of sowing and reaping–and, of course, choosing between good and bad spiritual seeds.

In the following seven verses, take note of the subject, action or actions, conditional clauses, or qualifiers. Does this enrich your understanding of what we’ve already learned?

• The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. (2 Corinthians 9:6 ESV)

• Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked [a]by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and [b]that only is what he will reap. (Galatians 6:7 AMPC)

Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Click To Tweet

• Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. (Hosea 10:12 NKJV)

• The same One who has put seed into the hands of the sower and brought bread to fill our stomachs will provide and multiply the resources you invest and produce an abundant harvest from your     righteous actions. (2 Corinthians 9:10 The Voice)

• And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. (Galatians 6:9 NKJV)

• Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God. (John 4:37 NKJV)

• I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. (1 Corinthians 3:6-7 NKJV)

 

A Prayer for Sowing and Reaping Seeds for the Kingdom

 

Lord Jesus,

I ask you to give me a discerning heart and mind that I might be fit for the kingdom work that you prepared in advance for me (Ephesians 2:10). Enable me to sow seeds of faith through prayer, worship, and service. I trust you to lead and guide me and acknowledge that you “give the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7). On the day of harvest, I pray that others would be gathered into your barn because I spoke up and refused to bow to fear. Please give me a heart of boldness and love for others as the day approaches.

In the powerful name of Jesus,

Amen

Enable me to sow seeds of faith through prayer, worship, and service. Click To Tweet

Peace and grace,
Tammy

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