Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6
“Let us then, as receiving great things though we give but little, still give the little that we may gain the great. While it is yet time, let us sow, that we may reap. When the winter overtakes us, when the sea is no longer navigable, we are no longer masters of this traffic. But when shall the winter be? When that great and manifest Day is at hand. Then we shall cease to sail this great and broad sea, for such the present life resembles. Now is the time of sowing, then of harvest and of gain. If a man puts not in his seed at seed time and sows in harvest, besides that he effects nothing, he will be ridiculous.
But if the present is seed time, it follows that it is a time not for gathering together, but for scattering; let us then scatter, that we may gather in, and not seek to gather in now, lest we lose our harvest; for, as I said, this season summons us to sow, and spend, and lay out, not to collect and lay by. Let us not then give up the opportunity, but let us put in abundant seed, and spare none of our stores, that we may receive them again with abundant recompense, through the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Whom to the Father and the Holy Ghost be glory, world without end. Amen.”
John Chrysostom (c. 349-407) in Homily XXV. John Chrysostom is the first of the Four Doctors of the Eastern Church that we explore on the topic of abundance.
What a conclusion to this sermon! Now is the time of sowing and scattering! Now is the time to sow, spend, and lay out the resources entrusted to us if we want to receive an abundant recompense. We must not collect them. Those who do are ridiculous, that is, deserving of ridicule for their foolishness.
We got permission to use Vincent van Gogh’s “The Sower and Setting Sun” for the cover of The Sower: Redefining the Ministry of Raising Kingdom Resources as it communicates urgency. We don’t know how much time we have, so we must sow while we have opportunity. If you’d like a free PDF copy of the book, reply to this email. I thought of it when took this photo at sunset last night.
Neither Jesus nor the Apostle Paul forces us to sow generously. They merely point us to the rewards of obedience. It’s not crazy behavior, just radically countercultural! Let us “spare none of our stores” so that we reap generously. Or we must just prepare to reap sparingly. The choice is ours. What will you choose?