I suppose you’ve come across these two words in the Bible: seedtime and harvest. The first time God mentioned these words was in Genesis 8:22. He made a promise never to destroy the earth by water again. To me, this is one promise that has saved generations from being destroyed by God. That is because these days, people are doing more evil things than the entire wicked generation that existed during Noah’s time. And much more, the current world’s population far exceeds the number of people who lived during Noah’s time. Let’s take a look at Genesis 8:22 (NKJV).
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.
If you read the above scripture carefully, you’ll notice that there’s nothing like “harvest time.” It says “seedtime and harvest.” That implies there’s no harvest season. However, there are times harvest starts, and once it’s God-ordained, it’s bound to come perpetually. That’s amazing. Right? However, there’s no harvest without initial seed-sowing. To simplify it, you cannot reap what you’ve not sown. So everything revolves around seedtime and harvest. But sometimes, we don’t know when what and how to sow; much more to think about harvest.
There is nothing like “harvest time” in the Bible. That means there’s no harvest season. However, there are a time harvest starts, and once it’s God-ordained, it’s bound to come perpetually.
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Sometimes, we sow unaware. Other times, it’s intentional. Let me give you an example. A bachelor who uses his time of staying single to serve the Lord sows into his life in Christ and marriage because the obstacles that come with godly service prepare him for what’s ahead. However, he may never know this. That’s sowing unawares. What about church offerings? We use our money to give. Is that not so? That’s conscious sowing. However, there are several things we can sow and reap bountifully aside from using godly service and money. Let’s look at three of them.
1. Prayer
Prayer is not just for divine fellowship. It’s an investment. When Jesus said men ought always to pray and not faint (Luke 18:1), He was teaching us indirectly never to give up praying, even if we’ve not seen the manifestation of what we are praying about.
The woman Jesus used to narrate that parable was consistent in getting what she wanted. So if the violent take what belongs to Him by force in the kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12), then prayer becomes a sowing tool for submitting requests in heaven. Again this doesn’t mean prayer requests should be all about material things. It can be about a bright future for your life, spouse, friend or child. It can also be about settling controversies. There are variations. You know what you want from God. So invest in it using prayer.
2. Time
Another powerful tool to use to sow is time. Everybody has 24 hours each day. Some use theirs haphazardly. Some use theirs very wisely. But I know some people living on purpose who say that if there is a place to buy more time, they will go there to buy it. However, God is wise. A primary reason God has given each person 24 hours is that He has given everybody an equal opportunity to maximise one’s life and impact before exiting the world.
If you want to master how to use your time effectively, follow what God has called you to do and not what others demand from you. In that way, you’ll become a person of value.
A primary reason God has given each person 24 hours is that He has given everybody an equal opportunity to maximise one’s life and impact before exiting the world.
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God didn’t create you to do everything. He created you in Christ to do specific things in relation to your purpose for living. Instead of using the time to do evil things, go to church, watch a sermon, or read an online Christian article like this one. Do something that will bring glory to God’s name. In that way, you’re updating your record of good works in heaven and, at the same time living purposefully. That is what I call “good life.”
3. Work
The last on the list of things we can use to sow is work. Work is not a curse. It existed even before marriage and the fall that occurred in Genesis 3. Why? Because God gave man work before giving him a woman to choose as wife (Genesis 2:15). Please understand that I’m not talking about a job. I’m speaking about work. Work is what God created you to do, but a job is what you’re trained to do (Myles Munroe —Discipline In Achieving Your Vision). You can always change your job, but you can’t change your work because God has fixed your destiny. He knew you before the foundation of this world (Ephesians 1:4).
Work is what God created you to do, but a job is what you’re trained to do.
Dr Myles Munroe
Both a job and a work are all tools for seed. When you “job,” you get money to take care of yourself, your family and other things. Even if you don’t know your purpose yet, that job can still sustain you to live and become productive. However, when you work, you fulfil your purpose.
Some people have discovered their purpose in Christ. And as such, they’ve built organisations to suit their work. So they don’t have a job but are fully working and get well-paid. That’s glorious, but it’s not always the case. Use your strength and ability to make your organisation or workplace better. Because when you work effectively, you’ll reap the fruit of your labour.
Seedtime and harvest will never cease. But friend, you’ve got to be careful with what you sow. If you’re a young person, your young adult ages aren’t for seeking comfort or indulging in youthful lusts. They are for the Lord. Ambassade Christ wherever you are with intentionality.
