“For out of the abundance of theheart the mouth speaks.”(Matthew 12:34, NKJV)
After spending a lot of time in the Word, and spending time reflecting on it, I came upon a verse that has become a favorite of mine: “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer” (Psalm 45:1, NIV, emphasis added). This verse helped me to develop the concept of sowing to the Spirit. The Word of God is living and powerful, and it works in the life of the believer who receives it. Our tongue is the pen of a skillful writer because we are reciting the Word of God back to the one who inspired the writing in the first place. The activation process of God’s Word actually controlling our behavior is what I refer to as sowing to the Spirit.
You may have heard the saying, “You reap what you sow.” This idiom means that there is an effect for everything a person does or says, and that the effort a person puts into something will eventually be rewarded appropriately in this life or the next. The general idea behind “you reap what you sow” is that actions have consequences. The effects of a person’s behaviors are not necessarily apparent right away, such as when a farmer has to wait a while for a crop to mature; nevertheless, they show up eventually. We sow God’s Word out of our hearts and into the world. As Converterlators our goal is that all of those words would reap eternal benefits!
Sowing to the Spirit of God begins with praising God, rejoicing in his marvelous provision of salvation with expressions of gratitude. God loves and responds to these expressions of faith: “Let the godly sing for joy to the Lord; it is fitting for the pure to praise him. Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp. Sing a new song of praise to him; play skillfully on the harp, and sing with joy” (Psalm 33:1–3, NLT). “The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” (Psalm 50:23, ESV). What promises to claim for our personal lives! As we recite these verses we are focused on God’s power and purposes.
We often think of meditation as quiet reflection, and it is! But our sowing is directly related to our meditation, because the sowing comes out of the meditation! When we ponder on things that we have been exposed to, we reflect upon their importance and impact. These thoughts help us develop convictions that impact our behavior.
The heart absorbs whatever it is soaking in, so a cursory reading of the Bible is not enough. We must spend time with God’s Word. We must treasure its content and ponder what it is saying to us. Scripture is living and powerful; it impacts how we think, feel, and act. Again, our sowing comes from our meditation.
We will be equipped to make a difference for all eternity when we memorize, ponder, and meditate on his Word.
How can you begin to implement this principle of actually reciting God’s Word?
Converterlators sow God’s Word into all of their life situations.