ESOCS Devotional 5 November 2023 – Sow in the Life of Others
MEMORY VERSE: ““Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.” Ecclesiastes 11:2
TEXT: ECCLESIASTES 11:1-10 (KJV)
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3 If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7 Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
8 But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10 Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
Read Yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
One of the greatest principles of life is sowing seeds. God designed the earth to run on the principle of sowing and reaping. What this principle teaches is that if we give something we can get something in return. This concept can be applied to all areas in our lives – whether it is money, business, the people around us, or ourselves. When a farmer plants crops he does so with the hope of reaping harvests of farm produce. A student invests his time in his studies with the hope of reaping academic excellence. A trader invests his money into trades with the hope of reaping profits. The earth realm revolves around sowing and reaping.
The greatest act of seed sowing is sowing in the life of others because humans are the greatest assets in the earth. Whatever we give to others is like a seed that will come back to us someday in one way or the other.
While our relationship with God is based on grace and mercy; our relationship with creation (man inclusively) runs on the principle of sowing and reaping. This means that men will deal with us in same measure that we deal with them.
So, the writer stressed on the need for us to give freely without withholding. Though such charity may seem thrown away and lost but in due time it shall come back to us.
The unpredictable turns of life are more reason why we must give extensively and liberally as opportunities present themselves. Today we might be in position to do charity to others; tomorrow we may possibly find ourselves in situations where we need the charity of others.
We are therefore admonished to continually and extensively scatter our seeds of kindness so that we may have reason to expect kindness from others in time of need.
Give generously; give to as many as you can. Every act of kindness is a seed sown into the future.
FURTHER READINGS: Luke 6:31 & 38
ESOCS Devotional 4 November 2023
