Woman to Woman: Why You Need to Plant Continual Seeds of Faith

Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 NLT

It's only January, but I'm already thinking about planting seeds indoors. If I plant seeds now and put them under grow lights, they will be ready to set out in early spring.

But not every seed will grow. I've learned to accept this fact. Some seeds will never germinate. Others will sprout, then die from not enough water or too much wetness. Yet the strongest seeds will survive and grow into mature plants with flowers and fruits.

Our seeds of faith are like this too. Sometimes a Bible reading won't resonate with us. We may not feel like going to church one week. A praise song on our lips might feel fake because it doesn't match our feelings of the moment.

We need to plant continual seeds of faith because we don't know which ones will "sprout." This is not just for our own benefit - it's for the benefit of others. Let me explain.

Here's why you need to plant continual seeds of faith, even when your feelings are in flux.
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Often, a spiritual discipline that felt "meh" to me in the morning is ideal in the afternoon. My feelings sometimes turn faster than the Missouri weather (such as recently, the temp was -4 degrees on one day, and 60 degrees five days later). So, a verse from my Bible reading in the morning may not resonate with my feeling at 8:00 a.m., but jump off the page to me at 3:00 p.m. That's why I need to continually practice the spiritual disciplines so our faith is consistent even when our feelings are not.

Also, we don't know which faith actions will take root in others, and which ones will lay atop hard ground. When I share kindness with a stranger or a word of encouragement with a loved one, there's no guarantee they will absorb it. But the important thing is to keep scattering seeds and trust God to do the rest (1 Cor. 3:7).

I love the promise in today's verse: our profit may come from both actions of obedience. When we are faithful to serve God all day long even as our feelings fluctuate, he will make us fruitful beyond our expectations. We may not see all of that fruit until we get to heaven, but our joy can be rooted in obeying God out of our love for him (John 14:15).

I pray that if your feelings have gone up and down lately, this devotion helped you. If you want me to pray for you, reach out to me HERE. Also read a related devotion I wrote last January HERE.

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