Jesus often used the law of sowing and reaping to teach. A wise choice since they were very close to rural life. But nowadays, what can we learn from this natural law?

The parable of the sower shows us that the seed is the same for everyone, but the condition of the earth (of our hearts) makes the difference. It is by taking care of our heart, by also watching the growth of our seed, that we will be able to see results. In other words, what we grow, what we take care of, will produce fruit. Conversely, what we neglect will only wither away.

This is easily observed when it comes to our physical health. If we never brush our teeth, we will not be able to blame the devil if we develop cavities! Many Christians are afflicted with different diseases and continually blame the kingdom of darkness for their ills. It is not God who sends diseases, but is it always the enemy? Not necessarily! Sometimes diseases can be the result of negligence on our part. It is possible that the enemy attacks our body, and in this case, we must fight it with all of our spiritual weapons. But if we are sick because we have neglected our health, before we fight, we must first repent and make changes to our lifestyle.

The same goes for our relationship with God. We must take the time to cultivate it. We can not complain that we do not hear the voice of God, or that we do not see His power in our lives if we neglect our fellowship with Him. Attending a Sunday morning worship service is not enough. It’s a good starting point that gives us a seed, but then we have to continue to grow it. We must enjoy God’s presence every day of our lives, through prayer, praise, and Bible study. (We’ll help you do that in 2018, with our Journal project.)

Since we are talking about singles here, we know that this natural law also applies to being single! Yes, we must cultivate it, we must take care of it. If we want to get married, we have steps to prepare ourselves for this eventuality. Adam is the only man in the Bible where God intervened Himself to give him his sweetheart. All the other love stories in the Bible required some action from the man or the woman (or their parents). If you want to get married, you have to work on it. We must, of course, keep a balance and not become obsessed in our efforts. We must follow God’s guidance for our lives.

Perhaps all that prevents you from getting married at this moment is your legendary pride! To work on your social status, therefore, means to let God transform your character. Perhaps what keeps you from getting into a relationship is a deep wound. In that case, cultivating your celibacy means seeking the healing of your heart. Perhaps you have abandoned your dream of marrying a man (or a woman) on fire for God and you have begun making dangerous compromises. Refuse discouragement, cultivate, and take care of your dreams. Cultivating our single life is refusing to “let ourselves go” spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, etc.

Ask God what you need to give up, improve, or repent from to become a potential spouse. If on the contrary, you feel that God has given you the gift of celibacy, and you do not wish to marry, you will also need to cultivate your independence of body, soul, and spirit. Remember that everything you do not nurture will eventually wither! “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much. He who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.” (Luke 16.10 WEB)

Finally, just as we have to cultivate what we want to harvest, we must also realize that it is impossible to have everything. We must make choices and stick with them, that is to say, not to condemn ourselves for what we must let go. There may be a hobby you will have to give up because it prevents you from devoting your energies to other more important areas of your life. You may have to let some friendships fade away. They are not necessarily bad, but having too many friends can be bad. “A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18.24 WEB)

Take a moment to think about it. You can not cultivate everything, so what are you going to choose? Invest your time and energy in pursuing what you want to see happen. It is a natural law, taught by our Savior Himself! (Matthew 13)