What Are You Planting?
I have never witnessed the “panic” that impacted the whole world like the one we are experiencing today because of a microscopic virus. I sent out a tweet last week about what I have come to better understand because of what is taking place in society today.
Man can cancel everything, spend billions, self-quarantine everyone and use the best human ingenuity and technology and it only proves one thing. Man does not control anything. God is in complete control. What can I do? Trust God & obey His Word!
There are two life principles woven throughout God’s Word that have gripped my heart over the past few months. These two truths impact every area of life. They are especially applicable to how we educate future generations. In this week’s post I will focus on the first of these two principles.
Life Principle #1: What one plants, one harvests!
When God created the heavens and the earth, the very first creation ordinance He established was this principle. Every form of life that He created operates according to it.
And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:11-12 (NKJV)
And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:20-21 (NKJV)
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:24-25 (NKJV)
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth… Genesis 1:27-28 (NKJV)
God created all life to reproduce after its own kind. If you plant an apple tree, you will not harvest grapes from it. Dogs don’t reproduce birds and humans only produce humans. Whatever one plants, one harvests!
This life principle doesn’t only apply to the physical reproduction of life. It applies to everything in life. A student who plants hours of study into a subject, will harvest a better understanding of it than the one who never studies.
This principle also applies to our stewardship. When we plant God’s tithe (the first tenth of one’s increase) in the local church, we will harvest God’s blessings.
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10 (NKJV)
It is my conviction that what I plant is what I treasure/value. When I treasure something, I want to get more of it. So, I plant it knowing that I will get a harvest after its kind. This is why Jesus gave His followers wise advice.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven… Matthew 6:19-20 (NKJV)
Paul sums up this principle when he wrote to the church in Galatia.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7 (NKJV)
This verse declares that this life principle applies to all of life. This truth is extremely important to the education we give our children and youth. Whatever we plant in their minds will result in a harvest according to its kind.
I have written extensively on the fact that the worldview of one’s teachers will become the worldview of the student. Jesus emphasized this truth when He said,
A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. Luke 6:40 (NKJV)
Even though this life principle is found throughout scripture, too many Christians seemingly ignore it when it comes to how they educate their children. Then they become surprised and even shocked that their children leave the faith and live by the standards of the world.
I continually ask myself some important questions.
- Am I living my life in line with this life principle?
- Do I really want to harvest the seeds that I am planting in all areas of my life?
- What seeds am I planting in my mind?
- What is being planted in my children’s hearts and minds through the education they are receiving at home, church and school?
- What will be the guaranteed harvest from my answer to #4?
We must make our every day decisions knowing this very important life principle. What one plants, one harvests!
Next week we will look at life principle #2.
I am planting prayer and peace-prior to leaving for spring break I told my students that they would hear, overhear or read things that might make them feel uneasy or worried. I told them to take their thoughts captive and pray. When their parents were upset or worried, grab their hands, look into their eyes and start praying.
I found your post convicting. Looking back, as my child was an infant and a toddler I was steadfast in the word of God daily. Purposely, kept the word of God before us throughout the day. As my child entered grade school I sought to do the same, but was not as consistent. We faithfully attend church and fellowshipped with other believers. As our child began to enter middle school years, the economy tanked. My husband lost his job as an administrator of a christian school. It took a toll on him and the family. He began to slip into depression. With the help of faithful friends praying and a faithful God not giving up on him, he was healed and restored. Yet, the whole ordeal left him wounded. We moved to a sister church and began to serve the Lord there. With in a year, we found ourselves praying for a pastor in another city that had been involved in a terrible accident. As we prayed the Lord began to move upon our hearts to move there and help. That we did. I found myself trying to find my place and busy with life. I was no longer purposefully in God’s Word daily, nor sowing or tending to the seeds that were being planted in our child’s heart. What we sowed many years ago in our child’s young years, is not what we are reaping now. We are reaping the seeds of not purposefully sowing and nurturing through the years. All though our faith is strong in the Lord our child’s is not.
I want to thank you for sharing this comment even though I am sure it was painful to do so. I will be praying that God will honor your commitment to Him and bring restoration to your entire family.
Thank you Dr. Schultz. This is a compelling message. We must always be mindful of how we invest our time, words, talents, and resources. We want them to count for eternity, but it is so easy to get distracted with earthly interests. This was encouraging and inspiring to me!