Bible Reading: 2 Chro. 6; Phil. 4:13-23
“Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” – Philippians 4:17 (KJV)
Farmers understand the concept of sowing and reaping. It follows three basic principles. Firstly, after sowing, you need to wait a while to get the fruit. As your seed needs to germinate and grow to a level of maturity before it starts bearing fruit. Secondly, you will reap what you sow. No one sows apples and reaps oranges. And lastly, you will reap multiples of what you sow. 2 Corinthians 9:6 (KJV) says: “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” So the level of your effort at the time of sowing will also determine the level of fruit that you can reap.
In addition, your type of soil also affects the level of productivity of your seed. When it’s on a good soil, it will yield better results than when it is on a bad soil. The bible gives a vivid example of this in the parable of the sower by the Lord Jesus in Mark 4:3-8 (KJV). In fact Mark 4:8 (KJV) says: “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.”
For your giving (sowing), those who represent good soil include the poor as the bible tells us whoever gives to the poor lends to the Lord (Proverbs 19:17 ), a righteous man and a prophet as Matthew 10:41 (KJV) says: “He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.”
This is why Apostle Paul enjoined the Philippians to give him ( by extension, men of God) gift so that they can reap multiple fruit as the men of God are good soils for sowing. Thus he said to them in Philippians 4:17 (KJV): “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.”
Action point: Ensure you give gifts to men of God so that you can load your account with bountiful harvests.
Bro. Biodun Oyapero