Sowing & Reaping: Sow the Word, Reap a Harvest
Sowing & Reaping: Sow the Word, Reap a Harvest
Psalm 1, Luke 8
January 11th, 2026
“What do you want your life to look like?”
“What do you want out of life?”
I want my life to be anchored. I don’t want to be blown all over the place or by the wind of culture or circumstance.
I want my life to be fresh; full of energy and vitality.
I want my life to be purposeful and productive for me and for others.
Foundational Fact #1: God’s Word is indispensable and integral for an anchored, fresh, purposeful and productive life.
Achievable Action #1: Sow God’s Word into your life.
Foundational Fact #2: Good seed + good soil produces a great harvest.
Achievable Action #2: Till and tend the soil of your soul.
Psalm 1:1-6 (NIV) 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Foundational Fact #1: God’s Word is indispensable and integral for an anchored, fresh, purposeful and productive life.
The NT doesn’t cancel out the OT, it fulfills its main promise – the coming Messiah.
The people weren’t afraid of God because He was scary, they were afraid of God because He was holy!
Psalm 1. 1 Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. 3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers.
Be careful who you follow because you will end up where they end up.
Blessedness is the destination of those who take joy in following the Lord’s ways and who meditate [study, think on, ingest] His Word as our guidance.
Too many people don’t read the Bible because they fall for a 3 particular lies…
1) I won’t understand it. The word will find root in our soul when we read it!
2) I don’t have time for it. The “scripture of the day” makes a good snack but not a good meal! If your “want to” is deep enough, the “time to” will follow.
3) I don’t like to read. Reading produces real world results. When you stop learning you stop living.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers...
a weeping willow tree! Anchored, Fresh, Purposeful & Productive.
Psalm 1:4-6 4 Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. 6 For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.
Those who reject God and His Word are light weights. Seeds are weighty, chaff is “flighty”.
Achievable Action #1: Sow God’s Word into your life.
Foundational Fact #2: Good seed + good soil produces a great harvest.
Luke 8:4-8,11-15 (NIV) 4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
The harvest is connected to the soil.
Soil 1 The Path
Soil 2 Rocky Ground
Soil 3 Thorny Ground
Soil 4 Good Ground
Achievable Action #2: Till and tend the soil of your soul.
1. Am I and how am I going to increase the amount of God’s word (His Seed) I get into my life?
2. What attention do I need to give the soil of my soul so that that seed goes deep and produces the harvest promised?