I take no credit for this idea as it is not my original thought, but has come from no less a person than John Lennox. However, there is no shame in repeating the thing that has really blessed you.

Jesus often used the natural, simple things in life to illustrate the profound message of the Gospel. He talked about the farmer spreading his seed in Matthew 13. The seed was sown but fell in different places. In some places it was unable to sustain growth, but some also fell on good soil.

With our mission of Touch-a-Billion, as the sower we can spread the seed. We cannot guarantee where that seed will land and whether or not it will take root, but every sower can have the confidence that some of the seed will land on good ground.

The message from John Lennox was simple:

You can only reap what you sow. You cannot reap barley if you sow wheat. Therefore, we have to be sowing the word of God in its many different aspects, and something of the changing power of the gospel must be communicated in the stories we tell.

We always reap later – it takes time. The harvest isn’t immediate. If we sow, and we allow the seed to germinate in the hearts and minds of those who receive it, every seed that is sown in good ground will bring forth fruit, but it won’t be immediately.

We always reap more than what we sow. This is a wonderful principle of the Kingdom. As we go forth and sow, with the talents we have, we could reap back multiples of 30, 60 and 100 fold.

So, let us not despair when we sow and do not see an immediate result, as this is to be expected. There is a spiritual process at work here that cannot be hastened. One sows, another reaps, God gives the increase and, at the appropriate time, the harvest will be gathered. It is the job of the sower to sow and the job of the reaper to reap, and God will bring the increase. We should continue to sow, and we should recognise the power of the seed, the power of the Word and the power of God to bring to fruition that which He has declared.