November 13 – Sow Your Seed

Hope for Today: A Daily Devotion from Reasons for Hope*Jesus

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“He has dispersed abroad, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” Psalm 112:9

“In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand.” Ecclesiastes 11:6

Those that lay up treasures on earth put out all that they can spare to interest, and those that desire to reap soon and plentifully are careful to sow accordingly. Let us imitate them in our charitable distributions. We must not pretend to pay the debt of charity with some poor mites and pence. If you will give something, give bountifully; take your hands full as if you were sowing, like the poor widow with her two mites, which she sowed freely, though it was her whole substance. But the rich ones were not so liberal — but covetously offered only what they could spare very well. Is it not said we should sow?

Now seedsmen sow with hands full, and so should we, for God loves a cheerful giver and will in His turn dispense again bountifully to you, that you should have sufficiency in all things to every good work. But God dispenses so bountifully to you; why should you then grudge Him anything or make only such poor returns? For what we do to our neighbor is the same as if it were done to God Himself, if done in faith and love. How gracious His condescension who accepts such service and esteems it at such a price! Lord, give me a truly liberal spirit and enable me to imitate Jesus in His benevolence!

Devotion by Karl Heinrich von Bogatzky (1690—1774)