303 - The Parable of the Sower - Falling on Good Soil#
303 - The Parable of the Sower - Falling on Good Soil
(JP Text Group - Organized by the Little Prince of Heaven)
The title of the sharing is: The Parable of the Sower - Falling on Good Soil.
Mark 4:20, "But those that were sown on good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, thank You and praise You! As we begin a new week, we first receive Your words. We have prepared our hearts, believing You will supply us with words, sowing Your way in our hearts, in this good soil, Your way will take root and bear good fruit in our lives. We commit this time to the Holy Spirit to personally guide each brother and sister. You said, those who seek will surely find. You know their current needs, provide for them in due time, and bless the following time. In the name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen!
Sharing on the fourth lecture of the Parable of the Sower: Falling on Good Soil
We have discussed three types so far. The first is the seed that fell by the wayside; the word did not enter the heart, nor did it believe, and the birds came and ate it up. The second type is the seed that fell on rocky ground; because it had no root, it seemed good for a while, but when trouble came, it did not believe anymore. The third type is the seed that fell among thorns; although it believed, it was merely belief and did not help much in life. Jesus wants to emphasize the fourth type, which is clearly for those who have already believed. When you believe in the Lord and are willing to accept His way in your heart, congratulations! Bearing fruit is a natural outcome.
Sharing the first point: Hearing the True Word
Those that were sown on good soil are the ones who hear the word. The first step is to hear the true word. Do you know where the gospel begins?
Mark 1:1, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God."
Do not misunderstand; the Ten Commandments are not the gospel. Jesus Christ is the beginning of the gospel. If you want to find the gospel, it must be connected to Jesus. If you want to share the gospel with others, it must also be connected to Jesus. Will there definitely be someone who believes when you share about Jesus? Not necessarily, but if no one shares, others will definitely not believe.
Romans 10:14-17:
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!" 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?" 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Those who accept Jesus hope to have faith, and a great deal of faith. If you have faith, do not pursue the Ten Commandments. The more you understand the Ten Commandments, the smaller your faith will become. If you want to grow your faith, you must seek the true way, Jesus Christ.
Verse 17 states that faith comes from hearing. Ensure that what you hear is about the way of Jesus, and fire will ignite within you. Almost every day, many people send me testimonies, saying that as they continuously hear about the grace of Jesus Christ, their hearts become fervent, and they cannot wait to share the goodness of Jesus with others. Why do people act this way? Because they have benefited themselves. Amen! It is not that you force them to share the gospel; it is that they are eager to say, "I must tell those around me. If I do not tell them, I feel uncomfortable."
This is precisely the mindset of Paul at that time; if I do not preach the gospel, I am in trouble. He could not contain it anymore and was eager to tell others. Why am I preaching to you today? Why can I put down all worldly work and be willing to testify about Jesus? Because my life has also been changed this way. Without Jesus, I might have died at least three times, but today I am here, testifying how wonderful Jesus is.
Faith comes from hearing the word. Who is the word? The Gospel of John states clearly that the word became flesh, referring to our Jesus Christ. Do not shift your focus or the word you think about to other places. If it becomes the law of Moses, you will have no faith, growing in fear and not daring to believe, yet you have to believe.
Hearing His word will produce faith. Jesus does not care what kind of person you are or what you are experiencing right now. He says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Only someone with power can say such words. He does not care what kind of illness you have; He says, "Come to me, I can heal you, I can change you, I can give you new life." This is a statement that no one else dares to make besides Jesus.
What we are telling you now is precisely about such a Lord. Even if you say you do not want to believe in Jesus, that is okay; come and listen to the word of Jesus, and it will also increase your faith because what Jesus gives you is His life-giving word. Hearing comes from the word of Christ, and everyone must clarify whether what you hear is about the word of Christ. If what you hear is about other interesting things, that is not the true word. The true word comes from Christ, so ensure that what you hear is about Christ's message. Only the words of Christ will bring you faith and strength; this is the seed and the foundation. If the seed is wrong, what you expect will not appear.
If you plant thorns in the ground but expect to harvest grapes, will you have a harvest? It is not that you are not trying hard enough; even if you water and fertilize every day, the thorns will grow very well, but grapes will still not appear because the seed is wrong. Brothers and sisters, be especially cautious not to let garbage information enter your heart; that is also a seed.
A three-year-old child has no concept of ghosts or fear, but if you let the child watch various monsters on TV, they will have nightmares at night and feel afraid. Why? You have sown the seed of fear in their heart.
Similarly, if you focus daily on negative information, you are treating that negative information as a seed, planting it in your heart, seeing everyone as problematic, as if they are calculating against you. But in Jesus Christ, what Jesus gives you is always faith; He is there to support you. Ensure that what you hear is the true word. If the seed is correct, then the following can be said; otherwise, everything is wrong. If the seed is wrong, the sprout will be wrong.
If you are sure that what you are hearing now is about Jesus, the first step is that the seed is correct. When the seed is correct, the sprouts that grow afterward will also be correct. No one plants a peach seed and grows an apricot tree. Whatever seed you plant will grow into that sprout. Therefore, if you plant the message about Jesus Christ, what grows will definitely be life, abundant life. If the seed is wrong, the sprout will be wrong, and the fruit will also be wrong.
Here is a piece of advice for everyone: No matter whose preaching you listen to, ensure that what you hear aligns with biblical teaching. If it does not align, there is no need to discuss it. Do you understand? Because people often ask me, "Teacher Ren, someone said a certain statement; is it correct or incorrect? Why did they say that?" My answer is that it does not matter. For us, if what they say does not align with the Bible, there is no need to discuss or argue about right or wrong. We should carefully seek and focus on Jesus. Amen! Correct faith leads to correct living.
1 Corinthians 2:1-2:
1 And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Do you see that Paul speaks humbly? Did Paul really know nothing? How much do you know about Paul? First of all, at that time, during the powerful Roman Empire, he had Roman citizenship and was a top student under Gamaliel in the religious community. If we compare it to schools, he might be the top student of our highest institution in China. Such a person lacks neither money nor status, yet he says he knows nothing except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Previously, Paul knew a lot about worldly matters; he understood the law of Moses and the Old Testament very well. Finally, when he recognized Jesus, he discovered that the prophecies of the Old Testament were ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. The blessings emphasized in the Old Testament were also given to us through Jesus.
The Old Testament also mentions much wisdom, and he finally realized that Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom, the embodiment of truth, the embodiment of the way. So he said, I do not need to know anything else; knowing Jesus means knowing everything. Even if you know everything in the world, it does not necessarily mean you have life. But if you have Jesus, you have the life of Jesus. How do we obtain the life of Jesus? It is through His crucifixion that He gives you His life, so this seed must not be wrong.
The moment you accept Jesus, His life is within you. At that moment, you are no longer the same. Here is a suggestion for everyone: Read the Bible, let the Holy Spirit help you understand the Bible, and through the Bible, understand the world. You will find it particularly simple. But if a person only understands the world, they may not necessarily accept Jesus.
Some say, "I want to know more, deeper, and more professionally in my field." Then you must first know Jesus. He can give you greater insight in your professional field. The world is created by Him, and all wisdom is in Him. Amen! So the first step is to hear the true word.
Second, you must understand the true word.
The scripture we just read states, the first is for people to hear the word, and the second is to receive it. Receiving means to understand. If a person only stays at the stage of hearing, the truths will not take effect and will become mere theories or knowledge. But the Bible says that knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
You come here not to learn more biblical knowledge but to know the truth. When you know the truth, you will be filled with Christ's love and power, and you will become more and more humble. If knowledge increases, pride will also increase. Therefore, what I tell you is not profound knowledge but to let you know the truth, so our hearts follow the truth and change. My purpose in preaching is singular: to help everyone understand the truth and believe it clearly. Amen!
Matthew 15:7-10,
7 "You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: 8 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" 10 And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand."
The disciples at that time also heard the teachings of the hypocritical scribes, but the people did not have discernment and did not know what was right or wrong. I believe many people were in a similar state before they recognized grace; they might have listened to the pastor's preaching for over ten years, thinking what he said was very correct. Suddenly, after accepting grace, within a year, they found that what he said seemed incorrect. Why? Because they understood. Amen!
I hope everyone can believe clearly. You must not only learn to listen but also understand what you hear, which means having the most basic discernment. If you are continuously listening to the word and using this truth, when others bring in erroneous information, you will be able to discern what belongs to God and what does not align with God's teachings. You can filter out what does not align and only keep the truth of Jesus Christ. This is enough to change your life. Let us look at what God's intention is.
1 Timothy 2:4-5,
4 "Who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
What is God's intention? The "all people" here does not refer to just ten thousand but to everyone. Our Jesus hopes that all people will be saved. And after being saved? To understand the true word. You did not believe in Jesus just to be saved; if that were the case, you would already be saved and have believed. The latter part is that you must understand the true word after being saved.
Understanding the true word is inseparable from Jesus. So when you understand the true word, you will find that there is only one true God in the world, and there is only one mediator between God and men, that is Christ Jesus. Your life and work should be centered around Jesus Christ. No matter where you have problems, please remember to learn to put Jesus in.
Do you remember when Moses brought the Israelites to Marah? The water there was bitter and undrinkable. He sought God, and God said, "I will show you a tree; you put that tree into the water, and the bitter water will become sweet." That tree represents Jesus Christ. He bore our sorrows, took our curses, and turned curses into blessings.
Now, perhaps you are in curses, problems, or tribulations; you must let Jesus in. Understanding the true word means learning to receive Him, just as I tell you today about Jesus' authority and His love for you. You know how powerful this seed is, but you must learn to use it. Hearing is just the first step; understanding is the second step. After understanding, you must hold fast.
Luke 8:15, "As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience."
Holding fast means believing like this. In secular terms, it means I believe steadfastly and will not change regardless of what others say. If you can have this faith, countless miracles will happen in your life. Many times, we are just too clever, or we have too many paths. Many people's testimonies are like this: for example, healing from illness, life transformations. Many people have given such testimonies, saying, "I was truly out of options; I had tried everything, seen all the doctors, and they all came to the same conclusion. Only when I had no way left did I come to Jesus, and unexpectedly, Jesus healed me easily."
Brothers and sisters, why do we have to reach this point? If you had held onto your faith steadfastly from the beginning, no matter what others said, even if everyone said Jesus was a fraud, you would still believe in Him. Even if someone said heaven is just a mental support, you would say, "I believe in Him; what He says, I believe." Even if someone said, "You will die if you believe in Jesus," I would still believe in Him. This unwavering faith is holding fast. Amen!
Just like you believe that planting a peach seed will definitely grow into a peach tree. How many con artists have told you, "This is an apricot; don't be fooled by its resemblance to a peach"? Do not believe them. This is how you should believe in Jesus: after hearing, hold fast in a good heart. Are you sure that the seed of Jesus Christ is a good seed? Are you sure your heart is good soil?
If both of these are confirmed, as long as you ensure these two things, bearing fruit is just a matter of time. Some seeds sprout quickly and bear fruit quickly, while others take longer and may take five years to bear fruit. But no matter what, please remember: as long as the first two are guaranteed, bearing fruit is inevitable. What you need to do is hold fast to this faith and hope, continuously receive, and let your heart change with the renewal of the Holy Spirit. Unknowingly, your life and living will change. Hallelujah! This is what we must hold fast to.
1 Corinthians 15:1-2,
1 "Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you, unless you believed in vain."
The salvation here does not refer to being saved from hell to heaven, but to victory in life. If you can hold fast to the gospel that Paul preached in your problems, receive it and believe it, God will surely save you and turn you around. With this heart to hold fast, you will surely see that you will be saved by the gospel.
I do not know what you need right now. Perhaps your business has problems, or your family or children have issues, or you have economic problems. No matter which aspect it is, you must believe like this: first believe, receive, and then hold fast. Bearing fruit is inevitable. Hallelujah! God will first guard your heart.
Proverbs 4:23, "Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life."
What is frightening is that just after believing, you deny Him the next day. You just believed that Jesus is good and that He can save me, but the next day you say, "I have prayed all day; why hasn’t Jesus accomplished anything? I might as well look for someone else." We should not change back and forth like this; hold fast to what you believe.
This is what this scripture says: keep your heart with all vigilance. If you are sure that the words of Christ you are hearing are the true word, then believe like this and never change throughout your life. Successful people are actually very simple; they have done one thing well their whole lives, and that is success. Most clever people change to something else when one thing does not work, and then change again when that does not work. They seem to know everything, yet they do not excel at anything. What is professionalism? What is science? It is specialization. In that specialization, I can say I am unique in that industry or field, and if you can do that, it is enough. Amen!
If you are selling duck necks, and you can cut the meat off in a few swift motions, leaving only the bones, that is a skill. Some might say that is impossible... In short, there is a lot of wisdom in this. You need to hold fast to this heart before God, keep your heart. In every industry, there are very successful people. There is no need to try every industry; just hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ in the industry you are currently in, let Him renew you, help you, and keep your heart. That is enough.
You say, "Lord, I just want to get by in this industry; grant me wisdom and ability in this industry, and I will glorify You in this industry. I do not want to change anymore."
Before God, I only have this heart. When I serve God, I made a covenant with Him, saying that from the day I serve You, I will no longer engage in worldly professions to make a living. I believe You will surely provide for me, and abundantly supply me, and I will also become a blessing to others.
Around 2008, saying this required faith and courage. The impression of Chinese preachers was not good: short, poor, and lacking. At that time, I could have such thoughts, believing that it was not just my imagination; I had biblical basis because God had given me such promises, so I held fast to it.
Today, it seems that God does not lie; He is a faithful God. Amen! I prefer to study the Bible to understand His truth, so the Lord said, "Alright! I will use you in this area, through continuously explaining the Bible to people, breaking down the Bible, and helping people generate faith."
Now this gift is indeed upon me. Many people, in the process of chatting with me, unknowingly generate faith. Unknowingly, they seem to know the answers before I even tell them what advice to give. This is what God has given us; each of you has it. Hallelujah!
You need to find out where God has placed you, what seed you are, and what aspect of faith and strength you have received from God to express it. If you are a peach seed, when you are planted in the soil, it may need to be deeper than other seeds; the depth is different from wheat. But do not compare; if someone else’s sprouts faster, that is okay. They might have harvested several times in a year, and you are still a small sprout; that is fine. Do not compare; what you need to hold fast to is the hope before God. Amen!
Good soil, good seed, bearing fruit is inevitable. Keep your heart with all vigilance. The effects of your life are determined by what you believe and receive.
I have told everyone before that your current life is actually the result of your decisions five years ago. If you are not satisfied with your current life, perhaps you have been relying on yourself all along. Now you may feel disappointed, but that is okay. From now on, make a determination to change the next five years; Jesus has this ability. Amen!
Jesus has this ability completely. Look at the disciples who followed Jesus for three and a half years; their lives were transformed. Within the next five years, their lives were ignited. Jesus returned, and the Holy Spirit helped them, and they did things they had never dared to imagine before, saving souls, with three thousand or five thousand repenting. Amen! You must keep your heart with all vigilance.
We just read that we must hold fast in an honest and good heart and bear fruit with patience. Who is willing to be patient? Is patience difficult? One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is patience. Brothers and sisters, when do you need patience? When someone gives you a candy or a million dollars in cash, do you need patience? When unfair things happen to you, when grievances come upon you, when you feel lost and want to see the results appear but they do not, that is when you need patience. But generally, the patience of the world is, "Oh, maybe tomorrow will be better; let’s wait and see. Life is bound to have some setbacks." This is how the world comforts itself. But Jesus is not like this; Jesus means that all things work together for good for those who love God.
Today, you may not see what your benefit is, but one day, looking back, you will find that every little stop in your life, every step is not superfluous. Even if you thought it was superfluous at the time, it was not. Take a simple example: Moses lived in Egypt for forty years and learned all the knowledge of Egypt. Can that knowledge save the Israelites? He had tried hard and made efforts, but he failed; he did not save a single person. After that, he spent forty years in the wilderness of Midian. Did he need to be patient during those forty years? Yes, why? When does a person feel the worst? When they fall from the highest point to the lowest valley, that is when a person cannot bear it. If you have never succeeded, you might say falling into the valley is just falling into the valley; I have never gotten up anyway. But if you have ever stood at the pinnacle of glory and one day lost everything, even being worse than a normal person, that is when a person feels the most discouraged and needs patience the most, right?
Moses might not have understood what God's will was at that time; he might have thought his life was just like that. But he did not expect that at the age of eighty, God's time had come, and afterward, he had an extraordinary forty years. This can also be said to be the most meaningful forty years of his life.
The Bible says that Moses was very humble, but Moses before the age of forty was not like that. What kind of character did he have? He would kill you if you disagreed with him; he had a fiery temper. But when he served God's people at the age of eighty, he had completely changed. Where was his character refined? In the forty years of the wilderness.
Today, you will not experience such a long time, nor do you need to. God just wants you to know that the little tribulations and problems you encounter now are merely to build your character so that when God gives you greater blessings later, you can bear them. Amen!
If you can think this way, you will not care why others have harvested several times while you are still buried in the soil. That is okay; the time has not yet come. Once the time comes, your strength will be completely different. They have to plant seeds every year, but you do not; once you grow, you will bear fruit every year. The grace God gives you and the path He gives you are different, so do not compare. What you need to do is be patient and bear fruit.
Romans 8:24-25,
24 "For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
Our theme this year is living hope. I do not know what will happen this year or what miracles you will experience, but you must have hope. When you do not see, believe like this; this is hope, and it is positive belief because you know who you believe in.
If you place your faith and hope in a person, you will worry that if that person changes their mind one day, everything will turn into a mirage. No matter how many promises a person makes you, if one day they change their mind, all promises will turn into mirages, and you will have nothing. But the one you believe in now is faithful; there is not even a hint of evil in Him; all that is in Him is good and love, ready to give to you.
So, place your hope in the Lord Jesus, tell Him everything, and He will guide you on the right path, even if you do not know what will happen today. But you must have positive hope, believing that the guidance Jesus gives you is the best, and then patiently wait. This patience and waiting is joyful. Hallelujah!
Hebrews 12:1-2,
1 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."
Hebrews 11 speaks of many witnesses, and chapter 12 tells you that the greatest witness is the Lord Jesus. So many people are witnessing for Jesus. We have many beautiful testimonies around us, but these testimonies encourage you to lay aside your current burdens. Amen!
Lay down those sins that easily influence you and entangle you. In the past, when you did not know Jesus, you carried everything yourself, saying, "What should I do about this? How do I get through life? I do not know where the path is." But now you have laid it down and shifted your focus to Jesus; He is the one you can rely on.
Verse 2 says, "Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith."
The founder and perfecter means He is both the beginning and the end. If you say it is over now, you should ask, did Jesus say this is the end? If He did not say so, do not say it is the end. For example, if someone says, "Tomorrow is the end of the world," did Jesus say that? No, then do not believe it, unless Jesus said it. If Jesus does not allow it, you will not die. What I mean is that your time has not yet come; you cannot go back. But if the time has come, no matter how you try to stay, God says, "Come back," and when you return, you will know how great my goodness is to you because you have returned and will no longer want to go back.
This is Paul's mindset. Paul once went to the third heaven, and he said that place is truly beautiful. Anyone who has been to heaven would not want to return to this world because it is too beautiful. Why could Jesus despise the shame at that time? He did not endure it like we do; we think Jesus was just enduring when He was being whipped. Is that so?
Do you know what Jesus was thinking in His heart? Although it hurt a lot, He was thinking: with every lash, if you believe, you will be healed. So He had a joyful heart; although His flesh hurt, His heart was joyful. Here it says He despised the shame set before Him. The shame others cast upon Him, the spitting upon Him, He knew: I endure this shame so that everyone who believes in Me will no longer bear such shame. He faced all this with a joyful heart.
Some say, "But He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, 'Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.'" Many interpretations say Jesus was afraid of the cross, which is incorrect because it contradicts this passage. Jesus despised the shame, right? Even before the cross, Jesus was still quite happy because His heart was joyful. He could endure the suffering of the cross because He knew what His death would bring, so He was not afraid of the cross. Such interpretations are wrong.
What did Jesus' prayer mean? Three times He asked the Father to take this cup away, but that cup was not Jesus being afraid of the cross or being whipped or shamed. No, I can bear the lashes and the shame; that does not matter. But do not leave me. When He was on the cross, Jesus cried out, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" Did the Father leave Him? Yes, this was something Jesus could not accept. To Him, this was the bitter cup, not the lashes or the nails.
What He could not accept was the Father leaving Him because He had never been separated. When Jesus cried out like that, the Father really left Him. Why did He leave? Because at that moment, Jesus bore all your sins, and our Heavenly Father could not be in the presence of sin. Of course, although Jesus did not want to, He said, "But not as I will, but as You will." In the end, He bore all our sins and died, guaranteeing one thing: today the Heavenly Father is forever with you and will never leave you again.
So His good seed enters you and will not immediately spring up because your soil has problems. His promises to you will not disappear just because you say you do not believe or look for others. This promise is still upon you; whenever you turn back, this promise will be fulfilled. This is our God; you need to look to Jesus. He is the beginning of faith and the end of faith. When you have a joyful heart, hoping for good things in the future, hope like this every day...
The seeds you are sowing now are meaningful. Otherwise, why sow? When sowing, you do not see the fruit, but they see the fruit through this seed, just as I see you. Perhaps you indeed have many flaws, and many people do not know God. That is okay; I do not see your present; I know that you will become a different person in three or five years. It is not me changing you; it is this word that will change you, and that is enough.
Just like looking at your child, if the child keeps urinating on the floor, do they not know that wooden floors are expensive? Why do they not listen when you tell them? Would you kick them? No, because you do not know what kind of person this child will grow up to be. They are just a small child now, and you need to see their future self through them. Jesus looks at you this way. If Jesus did not see Peter's future ability, He would have slapped him dead. You say this person is arrogant and boastful; what is there to cultivate?
But Jesus had already seen that he could faithfully serve me and would eventually be crucified for my sake. Jesus saw all this. You need to look at the people around you this way, look at your friends and children this way, and you will find that they still have many strengths; they just have not expressed them yet. This is the seed; thank the Lord!
Let me solve a difficult problem for everyone. Ecclesiastes 11:1, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days."
What does this mean? Since we are talking about the parable of the sower, what will happen if you cast bread upon the waters? It may go somewhere, perhaps spoil. In the eyes of the world, this is a futile effort, and no one wants to do it. But why does the preacher say this?
Look at verses 4-6,
4 "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5 As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. 6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good."
Does it seem particularly profound and reasonable when you read it? But you do not know how to apply it, so this is called wisdom literature. What is the purpose of sowing? To reap. It must be said practically: it is for reaping. Who does not sow for the purpose of reaping? Sometimes, if you focus too much on how much you will harvest, it will affect how much you sow. If you focus too much on the results, you will hesitate to sow, worrying about gains and losses, and become indecisive.
The preacher here wants to tell us not to calculate whether you can reap; just sow in every season of your life when you should sow, so that in the season of reaping, you will reap unexpectedly abundant harvests. This is what we just read: cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.
People say that casting it upon the waters means you do not know where it went. The Bible does not say that; it says that after many days, you will find it. You cast it upon the waters, and you do not know where it went. You know where it is when you cast it into the soil, but you do not know where it goes on the waters. But God says you do not know where it went, but after many days, you will find it. When you cast your bread upon the waters, you will find it after many days.
These verses seem puzzling. How can you cast bread upon the waters? Wouldn't that be wasting food? In the Lu Zhenzhong translation, it says: cast your bread upon the waters, and after many days, you will gain. Sometimes it seems like you are casting your bread upon the waters, like throwing it away, but all your hard work, as long as you do your part, will ultimately yield a harvest. Here it refers to spiritual sowing.
You do not know how much of a chain reaction will occur after helping this person. Just like when Stephen died, he did not expect that the one called Paul would have such great power. So do not underestimate anyone around you. When you share the gospel with them, give them a word of comfort, or share a verse with them, you are casting bread into their hearts. Is it not like casting bread upon the waters? You do not know who will believe and do not know how the Holy Spirit will change that person.
Just like my own testimony, nearly twenty people shared the gospel with me, and they all said, "It's over; he is not one of God's chosen." But they did not expect that from the day I believed, I would be very steadfast. Was that unexpected? So brothers and sisters, this is sowing.
Perhaps the seed you cast upon the waters has not yet yielded a harvest or fruit, but believe that the God you believe in is just, is faithful, and does not show favoritism. Solomon's meaning is very clear: do not calculate gains and losses when acting. Do not refrain from sowing because of gains and losses; have hope in God, and sow in joyful hope, hoping for a fruitful harvest. Hallelujah!
He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. This means you are too clever; you look at the wind and say, "It seems this year there will be too little rain; I better not sow." You are too clever, calculating the results, and as a result, you will not gain anything. It is very simple; whatever God leads you to do today, just do it. Use the information you have heard, and you will see the results. Amen!
After praying, hope for the results you desire to come to you. All our service is like this; it should not have any ulterior motives. When you do not calculate gains and losses while serving and helping others, you will reap the greatest harvest. In business, this is the secret to success.
It is simple: the more people you can help change, the more successful you are. The more changes you create, the greater your success. What I am doing now is not much different from them; I am just mainly responsible for people's souls. But I tell you: once you understand this, it is the same in your industry. God gives you more; do not focus on what you have given to this person and how much they will give you in return. Do not think this way; it is like casting bread upon the waters. You cannot see the fruit, but one day the harvest will exceed your imagination.
The article you read concludes by saying to bear fruit with patience, yielding thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and a hundredfold. Some fruits yield thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and some a hundredfold. Through this passage, I give you a bit of hope. If you are currently praying for your body and have a certain illness, and you have prayed to God, you may have experienced a thirtyfold change, meaning that after praying, you feel much better in your heart. But looking back, it seems there is not much change.
Why do you have this thought? Is this thought correct? It is too correct because your pain was one hundred percent, and now it has decreased by thirty percent; you still have seventy percent pain and thirty percent joy. When you compare, it seems there is still no effect; this is normal. But you cannot give up just because you have only seen thirtyfold blessings after praying. If you do, you will not see the one hundred percent effect.
What should you do when you have thirtyfold blessings? Continue to pray. When I listen to the word, I feel so warm in my heart; then continue to listen to the word. Even if you look back and see that life has not changed, continue to listen to the word because you have already seen thirtyfold effects. Next comes sixtyfold. When do people often feel that God has changed them and blessed them? It is when it exceeds half. Someone might say, "My illness has already decreased by half; God really heard my prayer."
In fact, God heard your prayer when you were at thirtyfold. Many times, we have exceeded half, but when we compare, we find it is too much. In fact, God has always been changing you, from thirty to sixty, and finally to one hundredfold. If you are currently experiencing thirtyfold changes, do not compare; you have changed too much... Do not compare like this because comparing will lead to discouragement. Continue to pray, continue to believe, and expect sixtyfold and one hundredfold to come.
Perhaps you are amazed by some people's instant healing testimonies. Perhaps you have also believed that God would heal you in this way, but you see your healing and prosperity delayed. I still tell you not to give up. My dear friend, when what you hope for does not manifest immediately, do not be discouraged. Because in the parable of the sower, Jesus explains it like this: first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, and finally one hundredfold blessings.
If you have ever had a testimony of Jesus Christ in your life, whether in life, finances, or health, that is your thirtyfold blessing. What you need to do is expect the sixtyfold to come. If you have already received sixtyfold, do not stop your steps; expect a complete turnaround. Hallelujah! Unfortunately, many give up at thirtyfold, saying, "I feel more pain." Yes, your feelings are correct, but do not live by your feelings; you must live by faith. Amen!
If anyone among us has experienced even a little comfort from God, do not stop; continue to receive His words, understand His words, and then live them out. Once you break through to sixtyfold blessings, faith will naturally arise because only four parts of the problem will remain. At that time, you will not need me to encourage you to have faith; you will already have faith. The further you go, the simpler it becomes. No matter what your situation is, if you have received thirtyfold blessings, continue to expect sixtyfold, one hundredfold, and a complete turnaround.
Let us pray together:
Heavenly Father, we thank and praise You! Thank You for helping us through such words. Our hearts are good soil, and You are also the best seed. The best seed, when sown in my best soil, will surely bear fruit. I believe this and am willing to continuously listen to Your words, receive Your words, understand Your words, and wait joyfully for the day of bearing fruit. I believe You work on a schedule and will let me see at the best time. Perhaps my current situation is like casting bread upon the waters, seeing no results, but I still believe You are a faithful God, for in due time, I will surely reap.
Now, perhaps I have some losses, but I believe that Your compensation will be greater. I expect thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and one hundredfold harvests. You are such a faithful God, so I am willing to experience Your words this week, sowing seeds of hope and seeds of the gospel in my life. I am willing to look to You in all things, believing You will surely renew and change me. Hallelujah! All glory belongs to You, and I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus. Amen!