I want to welcome you once again for the new year and I pray that all God’s good intentions for the year for you will be fully accomplished, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Now if you have been in this assembly for a while, you will know that you shouldn’t expect me to say that this year will be a year of ‘so and so’ for you. That is because the year can be anything you desire it to be for you, as long as you put your trust in God. The bible says all things are possible for the one who believes (Mark 9:23). So, whatever you can believe God to make the year be for you, that is what He will make it be for you, as long as it is consistent with His will.
In any case, I want to share some things with you that I know will help you to increase tremendously in fruitfulness and usefulness in God’s hand this new year. And I am taking them from 1Corinthians, chapter 3. It says from verse 6:
“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who makes things grow.” (1Corinthians 3:6-7NIV)
Here Paul is showing us certain conditions that must be met, if we, as God’s children, will increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. And from what he says, we can see that we have our own duties in experiencing fruitfulness and usefulness in life. God will not perform these duties for us, if we will not perform them. So, we need to know what these duties of ours are and give ourselves to performing them. Otherwise, we will not increase in fruitfulness or usefulness in life.
Then God also has His own duties, which He must perform for us to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. We cannot perform these duties for Him. So, if He does not perform them, there is no amount of effort we make towards increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life that will amount to anything.
Now what must we do, if we want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life? According to what Paul tells us in that text, we, like farmers, must be involved in planting and watering, if we must increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. So, if you want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in every area of your life this year, you must be involved in planting and watering.
See, the one who does not plant ought not to expect to reap anything. Yes, we often quote the Scripture that says, “Whatever a man sows is what he will reap.” And that is a fact. But then, if a man plants nothing, he is also going to reap nothing. (Cf. Galatians 6:7)
Truly, there are times that God makes people partake in the fruit of other people’s labour. For instance, parents often partake in the fruit of the labour of their children, just as children too often partake in the fruit of the labour of their parents. A husband also may partake in the fruit of the labour of his wife, just as a wife may partake in the fruit of the labour of her husband. Friends too can partake in the fruit of the labour of one another. Then the weak ones and the poor ones in the land may partake in the fruit of the labour of the rich and strong ones around them.
But what I am talking about here is partaking in the fruit of the labour of others, not stealing the fruit of their labour. And wherever God allows this, it is because those who are involved have been labouring themselves or are too young or weak to take care of themselves. Where people are old and strong enough to take care of themselves, God expects them to be involved in one form of legitimate labour or the other. And if they won’t do this, then, they have no right to partake in the fruit of the labour of others. The word of God says that the one that will not work must not eat. Otherwise, he will be nothing but a thief of the fruit of the labour of others. (Cf. 2Thessalonians 3:10)
Jesus once said this to His disciples: “I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” (John 4:38NIV) Why did He do this? First, He did it out of His generosity. Second, He did it because these disciples had been labouring with Him. Harvesting itself is labour. But the one who has not been involved in any kind of legitimate labour ought not to partake in any form of harvest. Otherwise, he will be seen as nothing but a thief.
Well, the point I am making is that you have to be planting something, if you want to reap this year. If you want to reap success, then, you must be planting seeds of success. And if you want to increase in usefulness, you must plant seeds of usefulness. That is your duty. God will not do it for you.
Now what are the things you must plant this year, if you want to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness? First, you must be planting the seed of the word of God in every area of your life. This is important, if you want fruitfulness that will abide and stand the test of time and the test of challenges. And if you want to increase in usefulness continually, regardless of the circumstances of your life or of your world, you must plant the seed of the word of God in every area of your life.
Remember that our Lord Jesus likens the man who hears His word and acts on it to one who dug deep to build his house on the rock. When the rain and the storm came and beat against that house, it stood firm – it was not shaken at all. Then He likens the man who hears His word and does not act on it to one who built his house on the ground without foundation. When the rain and the storm came and beat against that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete. (Cf. Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-49)
What is the point? It is that those who are building their lives on the word of God will be able to stand the test of time and the test of challenges. Their lives, homes and whatever it is they are building with the word of God will not collapse, irrespective of the times they find themselves or the challenges they are faced with. But those who are not building their lives on the word of God, either because they do not have His word at all or because they have it but won’t act on it, will not be able to keep what they are building from collapsing when they are confronted with certain seasons or challenges of life.
So, if you want your life, your promotion, your success or whatever it is you want to have or accomplish this year to be able to stand the test of time and of challenges, be sure you are planting the seed of the word of God into every area of your life and also doing whatever you are doing on the basis of His word. If you will give yourself to doing this, then, the results you are going to be getting in life are those that the word of God says. In other words, your success, promotion, advancement, peace of mind, health and anything else in your life that you are feeding with the word of God will be dictated by the word of God and not by the economy or political conditions of where you are.
Then you must also be planting the seed of prayer into your life this year, if you want to receive increased fruitfulness and usefulness from God’s hand. Jesus says, “Ask and you will receive.” If you, then, want to be receiving God’s provisions for you to be fruitful and useful in life this year, you must be asking God for whatever you need. Yes, you must take seriously the word of God that says that men ought to always pray and not to give up. (Cf. Matthew 7:7; Luke 18:1)
More so, if you want comfort and encouragement in your life this year, you must give yourself to planting the seed of Christian fellowship. If you don’t want to be all by yourself in handling whatever you are doing in life this year, then, take Christian fellowship seriously. God, of course, will be with you wherever you go to comfort and strengthen you. But there are measures of comfort that He cannot give to you, if you will not stay in fellowship with His children.
So, make effort to stay in fellowship with God’s righteous and good people this year. Otherwise, you should not expect the fruit or harvest of doing so in your life. What I am saying is that there are good things that will not happen in your life, if you won’t fellowship with God’s righteous and good people. If you, then, don’t want to miss any good thing God has ordained that you should enjoy this year, stay in fellowship with God’s people.
Furthermore, you must be willing to plant the seed of your skills, labour, money, diligence and faithfulness in profitable ventures this year. As I told you before, you cannot reap what you do not plant. So, if you want more money this year to take care of your bills and to be generous to others, you must be willing to plant the seed of money, hard work, skills, diligence and faithfulness into profitable activities, ventures or enterprises in the year. If you will not plant seeds of these things into life this year, you should not be expecting abundance, promotion or advancement in your life. So, it is important that you are willing to plant the right seeds this year, seeds that will result in your increased fruitfulness and usefulness in life.
Where, then, will you find the seeds that you need to plant into life this year? It is from God. Look at what Paul says in 2Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 10:
“Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (NIV)
Who is God speaking about here? He is speaking about God. And what is he telling us about Him? He is telling us that He is the one that gives seed to the sower and bread to eat. Now that is interesting and highly encouraging. That is because regardless of what is happening in this country and all around the world this year, you can expect God to give you food to eat all through the year.
You can see why I told you that you must be sowing seeds of prayer into life this year. There are things you will not receive from God, if you will not plant seeds of prayer. Yes, there are things God does for people without their asking. He does these things for them as their creator and in His mercy. So, we can refer to them as general blessings from Him to all men. But there are specific things that individuals need in their lives. And some of these things will not be received by them from God, if they will not pray to Him.
Well, Paul says God gives seed to the sower and bread for food. So, as I said, you can expect God to daily make available for you the bread you need to eat. All you need is to ask Him for it. Remember that Jesus says, “Give us this day our daily bread.” You too can daily ask God for today’s bread this year. And He will answer you. But remember that you need more than natural bread to survive – you also need the bread of God’s word. So, of first importance, learn to daily ask God for the bread of His word that you need. And He will answer you and feed you to satisfaction, so that you will not be hungry and begin to run after the errors and lies of men. Then you can expect the natural bread you need to follow.
More than that, you can ask God for the seeds you need to sow into life this year. You need the seed of the word of God, for instance. So, you should daily ask Him to give you the seed of His word to sow into your life and into your world. And He will answer you.
Also, ask Him for the seed of business ideas, wisdom, understanding, knowledge and money that you need to plant into life this year. Then you can ask Him for the seed of people, the right people in your life. God is able to give you the right people to plant into your life, business, marriage, ministry and so forth. So, ask Him for the seed of the right people that you need. In short, ask Him to give you every seed you need to sow into life this year in order to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness. And He will answer you, for He is the one that gives the farmer seed to sow.
Now there is another thing God must do in order for us to increase in fruitfulness and usefulness in life. And it is that He must give increase to whatever we plant. In the text I first read to you, Paul says it is God that gives the increase. And that is true. If God does not give increase to whatever we plant, our labour will be fruitless. My prayer is that your labour this year will not be fruitless or a waste of time.
Well, it is important that as we are planting and watering this year, as we are planting and watering the seeds of our skills, hard work, diligence, faithfulness, money, knowledge and so forth, we keep in mind the fact that the one that will give us increase for these things is God Himself. So, we must trust Him for increase in all that we do. As I said before, if He does not give increase to whatever we are doing, it will amount to nothing.
Thankfully, God is willing to give increase to the fruit of our labour, if we will acknowledge Him. In Genesis, chapter 26, we are told of Isaac and of how he wanted to leave for Egypt because of the famine where he was. But then, he received a word from God not to go to Egypt but to stay where he was. Why? God wanted to bless him where he was. So, he stayed in Gerah. I pray that you too will receive from God this year every word you need to stay in the right place. Amen.
At any rate, though Isaac stayed in Gerah, as God had instructed him, he did not stay idle there. He did not fold his arms, waiting for God to bring him the food and whatever else he needed to care for himself and his household. Instead, he gave himself to some legitimate labour – he gave himself to farming. Look at what is said about this:
“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.” (Genesis 26:12NIV)
Did you see that? This man planted something where he was. Otherwise, he would not have reaped anything. But he planted some crops that same year that God had spoken to him. And that same year, as we see in the account, he reaped a hundredfold. Why? It was because the Lord blessed him.
In like manner, I want you too to expect increase on the fruit of your labour this year. That is because you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. So, give yourself to planting this year as you have never done. Plant the seed of the word of God, the seed of prayer and the seed of Christian fellowship as you have never done. And God will multiply the harvest for you. You will reap a hundredfold or even a thousandfold of what you plant.
In the same way, plant the seed of money, skills, education, diligence and faithfulness as you have never done before this year. And God, who gives increase to people’s labour, will give increase to the fruit of your labour. All you need is to acknowledge Him and entrust your labour into His hands. Don’t labour on anything without entrusting the results into His hands. Otherwise, everything may just go to waste. I pray that you will not labour in vain this year but will receive a great harvest of everything you plant this same year, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you both now and forevermore. Amen.
Happy new year.
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