$$ Is Not Everything

Okay, Here's My Deal...

Pastor talked today about something that I guess in my heart, I knew, but never really understood.

We all know that tithing and offerings are seeds to sow into God's kingdom. And, what we sow, only that shall we reap...so if we sow little, and grumble about it, then we will only reap little and grumble about that. Vice versa--if we sow abundantly and are joyful about it, then we will reap abundantly and be joyous from that. So far, nothing new, right? So, here is the deal, and I think that the Spirit has been working this in me and I just needed to hear it again to sink in my brain...

Our entire life is a seed to be sown into God's kingdom. Sure, the tithing and offering and money things are important and we should not forget those. However, it is our LIFE that God desires that we sow into His kingdom. By investing in prayer and helping others and using our gifts He gave us as He intended us to use them, we sow a much larger seed into His kingdom than we can ever imagine!! Pastor even tied this into the Sermon on the Mount...when Jesus taught to turn the other cheek, give our shirt and walk an extra mile, He was not teaching that we are to be floormats to be trod upon or wimps that do not stand up for ourselves. It was a lesson in sowing and reaping.

• Turn the other cheek...The person who slaps us is sowing a harvest of violence in their lives and that is what he will reap. By offering the other cheek, we do not plant another seed of violence, but rather a seed of forgiveness and compassion...and that is what we will reap.
• Give our shirt...The person who steals our coat is sowing a seed of thievery and dishonesty in their lives and that is what they will reap. By offering our shirt to him as well, we do not plant another seed of thievery, but rather a seed of generosity and giving...and that is what we will reap.
• Walk a second mile...The person who makes us walk a mile is sowing a seed of slavery and bondage in his life and that is what they will reap. By walking another mile, we do not sow an additional seed of slavery, but rather a seed of freedom and restoration...and that is what we will reap.