Prov. 11:24 Strategic Scattering

Prov. 11:24 "Those who scatter increase; those who hoard tend to poverty" (adapted from King James Version).

Before the European invention of the seed drill by by Camillo Torello in 1566, European farmers sowed seed much like the Jewish farmers of 3000 years ago. They took some of the best seed from the barn, and scattered it upon the fields, hoping for the best. No mattter how careful they were, there must have been patches with too many seeds, many of which would sprout and die, and other patches with few or no seeds. Not until 450 years ago did we find a smarter way to plant our seeds--and we did that by borrowing a 2100 year-old idea from the Chinese!

Something Wiki This Way Comes...
According to Wikipedia.org , the Sumerians used single tube seed drills abour 1500 B.C., and Chinese invented multiple-tube seed drills in the 2nd Century B.C. So from 200 B.C. until the mid=1500s, while we Westerners tossed our seed to the winds, Chinese methodically planted their seeds, making sure that every seed possible landed in good soil--and not too close or too far from other seeds. Fewer wasted seeds, less wasted land.

Jesus said, "A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and were trodden under foot, and the birds came and devoured them. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil; immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but soon they were scorched, and since they had no roots they withered away. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. Other seeds fell on good rich soil, and grew and yielded abundant fruit." Matthew 13: 1-23

Jesus never said we should just scatter the seed; he merely described what was done--while a few thousand miles away the Chinese were already using their high technology to ensure that as few seeds as possible were lost.

Yet even though farmers scattered their seed willy nilly, they did so in the hope that they would receive a return a hundredfold or more--and the more they scattered, the more they received.

How true that we reap what we sow, and the more we sow, the more we reap. But it also seems that how we sow, and where, can affect what we reap, and how much.

Do we sow the best seed? And do we choose the best soil? And, finally, do we protect the seeds, water them, and nurture the plants that spring from them--or just toss a little here and there and hope it works--rather like an agricultural lottery?

But regardless of whether we scatter seed or plant them one by one, the fact remains--the richest man in the world is not he who has received the most but he who has given the most.

A century ago, F.B. Meyer, wrote, "And it is so ordered that as we give we get. If we miserly hoard the grain, it is eaten by weevils; if we cast it away it returns to us multiplied. Stagnant water is covered with scum; flowing water is fresh and living. He who gives his five barley loaves and two small fishes into the hands of JEsus sees the peoplke fed and gets twelve baskets over. ... Freely ye have received, freely give; freely give, and freely ye will receive. "He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.... And He that supplieth seed to the sower, and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, ye being enriched in everything unto all liberality."

When we left a comfortable life in the U.S. in 1988 to live in China, and work for $90 per month teaching graduate business, I rather fancied I was making a "sacrifice." But on the contrary, the past twenty years we have received much more than we have given. China has changed, and so have we.

If you have access to a computer to read this, you too are one of the planet's more fortunate people. You have received freely; now give freely--but don't just scatter it to the winds. Gather the best seed from your barns, and sow it carefully in well-prepared soil--and expect a hundredfold return.

Dr. Bill
www.amoymagic.com
Note: Meyer's quote is from my favorite devotional, "Great Verses Through the Bible," Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1972 Inexpensive used copies are available online at sites like www.abebooks.com