Woe betides a man that can explain everything about his “lifting or growth”. Hear me, if your upliftment comes from God, no matter how many principles you obey, there must be a gap that only the signs of God can fill in your story. There must be a space where you will tell people “this is where I stopped, I can’t explain what happened next”.
Are you pursuing growth and upliftment in various aspect of your life: business, job, education, finance, career, etc, and you have tried many principles to achieving these but to no avail? There’s something yet you haven’t done! Yes you heard me well. Yes, something is lacking. If you wish to know read slowly…
Mark 4:26-34
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’
POINTS FOR REFLECTION
1. Child of God, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to the mysterious growth of a seed. Seed sowing may appear to be inauspicious task, but seeds have power, producing plants whose roots crack great rocks- plants that provide food and shelter for animals- plants that make human life possible.
2. Even though scientific principles teach us to propagate plants and domesticate animals, scripture says, how the plant grows night and day, we know not! This is not to gloss over the hardwork of the farmer who must indeed do other things to make the seed sprout but to remind us that billions of seeds take root every year without human interventions. And that is where the Divine element comes in. God knows and cares for creation, hence Jesus says in Matt 10, 29: “are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care”. If God cares so much about these creatures, how much more you and I created in his image and likeness?
3. Child of God, only the Uplifter of men can lift you up from your present conditions. You may have put in efforts like a farmer, followed all planting principles and skills, yet your seeds refuse to germinate or fruitify. The bible says in Ps 127:2 that God blesses his beloved while they sleep. You may be labouring in vain because you lack that Divine stamp or under some form of bondage. If you’re under a bondage, you need an urgent deliverance from your fruitless labours. For your sake Jesus says: “come to me all you that labour in vain I shall give you rest” (Matt 11:28). If you lack Divine stamp over your work you need sow good seeds that will germinate unto blessings. How do you sow good seeds, you ask me?
4. There are two things you must do: a. First Sow a good seed, and secondly, do Charity from every harvest. Christ says, of its own accord the (land) seed sprouts…this is a life giving force within the seed assisted by the land. You sow a good seed when you sow seeds of righteousness in God. Never start a business with evil capital. Scripture says those who sow in tears will sing when the reap (Ps 126:5) and in Prov 16:3 it says “commit thy works unto the Lord and your plans shall be established.”
b. After sowing good seeds in God, you must do charity from your harvest because God blesses those from whom His kingdom can come through them. This is the kingdom’s principle revealed in both the Old and New Testaments. No wonder after the restoration and upliftment of Israel, God promises to make Israel a noble Cedar where every kind of bird will find shelter (Ezek 17:22-24). This same expression is found in the Parable of the Mustard seed which after it sprouts becomes the biggest tree where birds take shelter. The birds are symbolic- representing all those who become beneficiaries of your upliftment.
TASK: If you’re praying for an upliftment in your life pray Psalm 92 now. Repeat verses 13&14 and Pray 7 times:
I (mention that intention, e.g business) Shall be Planted in the house of the Lord; and shall flourish in the courts of my God, I shall bear fruit when I am young till when I am old in Jesus name. AMEN.
