This article is from Peggy Zeman who serves as the Executive Assistant to the International Director of YFC International. She works in the International office in Denver, Colorado and lives near Denver with her husband George of 38 years. She has three grown, married children and four beautiful grandchildren. She feels privileged to work at YFCI and serve in the role in which God has called her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My husband and I are in a small group with a few other couples and meet a few times a month to discuss biblical things. We have been studying what it means to reap what you sow. I have thought of this over the years simply as, what we do (good or bad) will have good or bad results. Period. However, as we studied this more, what God says in Mark 4 in two parables, is that the seeds we sow will grow exponentially by God. In the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4:3-8), some seeds fell along the path and some on the rocky ground and some among thorns and did not grow, but those seeds that fell into good soil and produced grain yielded thirtyfold, sixtyfold and a hundredfold. And the Parable of the Mustard Seed in Mark 4:30-32, like a grain of mustard seed, which when sown on the ground is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.

Conversely, if we sow sinful seeds, we reap sinful results. Proverbs 22:8 says, “Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity. Exponential results. Galatians 6:7 says, whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction. We can sow sinful seeds from gossip, grumbling, untruths, and not only are those hurtful, but the sower shall reap exponential results in their life.

I recently had the privilege of being in Beirut for the YFCI Board meetings and we all got to witness the ministry work YFC Lebanon does with the youth in their Reconciliation Centre in a rough neighborhood with many ethnic mixes of kids. Their first few months after opening the centre, all they did was break up fights between the ethnic mixes within the youth. Those kids brought with them, prejudices from their parents about one another and the staff at YFC Lebanon were challenged to break down those prejudices and to teach them about the love of Christ, of forgiveness, acceptance, and reconciliation. Within months, they noticed changes in the youth as they played together and became friends with each other. Those kids brought that change home to their families. Soon, they were seeing changes within families and the neighborhood was changing. The mustard seeds being planted at the Reconciliation Centre were growing, by God’s hand, into large plants where families and neighborhoods were being affected. This went far beyond what YFC Lebanon had anticipated. God was doing abundantly more than they were able. God’s plan was bigger!

Each of us, right where we are, are sowing seeds for God to grow far beyond what we are able. I am not working at the front lines of ministry with the youth. Many of you are. I may not be able to see the fruit of my work as God grows the seeds I plant, but I know that I can trust that God is growing my seeds exponentially for the Kingdom. Each of us are sowing seeds, whether we can see the results or not. Be encouraged today that God sees your good works and your obedience to do what he has called you to do and he is busy blessing your efforts and growing a harvest, whether you see it or not, it is there or will be there in the future. It may not be for us to witness here on this earth, but we can trust that God is growing a bountiful harvest from the seeds we are sowing as we do what He has called us to do.

Thank you dear sisters for all that you do. Thank you for obediently doing what God has called you to do right where he has planted you. I pray today that you will be reminded that God is busy growing the seeds that you sow into a harvest beyond what you are able and what you can imagine.

May you feel God’s blessing upon you today.

Peggy Zeman
peggy.zeman@yfci.org