Saturday, August 31, 2013

Plant Your Seed




“Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of other-ignoring God!-harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” (Galatians 6:7~Message)


Planting seeds of love is a figure of speech referring to the process of growing love and compassion in other’s lives. Wherever we go in life, we really are planting seeds in the lives of other people. We might be given a hundred opportunities in a single day to plant a seed of God’s love, but if we are not careful we might miss out if we don’t slow down and take time out of our busy day to plant at least one seed of God’s love. Our words are sort of like seeds; the harvest of tomorrow depends on the seeds we sow today…

“Sow righteousness for yourselves; reap the fruit of unfailing love, and break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until He comes and showers His righteousness on you.” Hosea 10:12

Seeds come in many different sizes, and all seeds require a few basic things to grow; sunlight, nourishment, love, and water. With a little patience and hard work, what may seem like an empty plot can be filled with beauty and growth! We have probably all planted seeds with enthusiasm and hopefulness; anticipating what we can produce with our labor and careful attention. But what about planting seeds of love and encouragement in the lives of others? Jesus talks about how planting seeds will sometimes grow, or fall on stony ground and not sprout or take off at all. Every thought we have is a seed being planted, and if we do not tend to our “gardens”, it doesn’t mean that our plants will not grow, it means that the wrong plants will grow. We can either plant seeds that grow into beautiful flowers, or we can plant seeds that grow into weeds.

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



None of us may ever know what grows from the seeds we plant, but that should not discourage us from planting them. Some of the thoughts and actions we planted will come back to us days, months, or even years later. We should never judge our gardens by the harvest that we reap, but instead by the plants we sow. Sowing seeds of love will benefit both the individual and the recipient, and we should…

·         Speak kind words and build others up…

·         Show compassion for the pain and unhappiness of others…

·         Lend a helping hand to someone who is in need…

·         Be patient with others who are facing challenges in life…

·         See the good qualities in others rather than pointing out their faults…

·         Express our love to others with our words and actions



With every deed we are sowing a seed and no matter the color or the size, they can grow into the strongest plants! Every time we share words of love and kindness, we plant seeds in the hearts of the ones who hear us. And even though it may take years for those seeds to grow and develop, God encourages us to keep planting, and sharing His unconditional love!
 
 
Linking up this week with:
USE this for BLOG
 

22 comments:

  1. Hi Denise ... I'm a first time visitor, and all I can say is WOW! Your artwork is simply incredible.

    ;-}

    What a gift you have ...

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    1. Thanks for the visit Linda; wish I could take the credit but I have to give it all to Pinterest! :) Have a wonderful holiday weekend!

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  2. Inspiring post and lovely art! It is true--we have the opportunity to plant"seeds of love". I have just finished reading Bonhoeffer by Eric Metaxis. People that knew Bonhoeffer while he was in prison mentioned the love and compassion that he showed to wardens and prisoners alike. We will be known by the seeds we plant.
    I'm your neighbor at the Weekend Brew.
    Blessings

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    1. Sounds like a wonderful book; thanks for stopping by Carol! Blessings!

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  3. Dear Denise
    My husband and I have just spoken about what harm we can cause others with our words. I don't trust myself to say the right words and need to constantly ask our Pappa to shower the ground of my heart with His righteousness, grace and love so that I can speak words of His love. I told hubs that even truth can be spoken is such a way that it builds up and not break down!
    Blessings XX
    Mia

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    1. I...very often(!)...pray to God before attempting conversations; I know I am in constant need of His wisdom and grace during times of words spoken. :) Blessings dear Mia!

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  4. May we each be tenders of our little gardens. Sowing love at every opportunity

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  5. Hi Denise, great encouragement for the week ahead. The first scripture here hits the nail on the head. I WANT to reap good, so.... I need to sow good. Great encouragement lovely lady
    God bless
    Tracy

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    1. I think you doo a wonderful job planting seeds of encouragement and love Tracy! :) Blessings to you too, dear friend!

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  6. Denise, good good good word! Thank you dear for sharing His desires for us. Blessings.

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    1. Thanks Grace; I hope your day is full of joy dear friend!

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    1. Big hugs to you too dear friend; have a wonderful week!

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  8. Wow, this post really made me think, Denise. Thank you for these words of wisdom and the inspiration to plant seeds for our Lord. Thank you and have a beautiful Labor Day :) Hugs!

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    1. Thanks Stephanie; I hope your Labor Day was full of blessings and joy! :)

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  9. Praise God for the miracle of sowing seed -- how a "dead" kernel contains the promise of new life and fruit, and how a seemingly insignificant word or deed of love can blossom into a new creation in Him! What a beautiful and encouraging post.
    Happy Labor Day & God bless,
    Laurie

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    1. Amen Laurie; I am so thankful that He encourages me to keep planting even in challenging times! :) Blessings and hugs!

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  10. Oh my gosh, this is a wonderful post!
    (visiting you through Prowess and Pearls blog hop)

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  11. Love this! Especially the printable that illustrates the choice is ours - flowers or weeds. Thank you for sharing this. I am visiting from Doing You Well.
    Have a great Wed.!
    Joanne

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  12. Awww...LOVED this Denise!! I Corinthians 3:6 says, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase". Yes, it may be used for Paul and Apollos in the growing of the church, but it can be used in every aspect of our lives. When we do our part in the sowing process, God does His part in the increasing process. Thanks so much Denise and thanks for linking up! Have a blessed rest of your week!!

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  13. I love the picture you drew with your words so it is easy to take this principle of saying things in love. It is too easy to have an edge on what we say especially with those who are the closest to us. Thank you for sharing this today.

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