Sowing the Seeds of Love

      Perhaps the greatest challenge issued in scripture is to love as we have been loved by Christ (John 13:34).  In fact, all that we hear about love and our obligation to it can be somewhat overwhelming.  We are left wondering, “How?”

      Instead of trying to produce every aspect of love in one big growth spurt, remember the principle of Galatians 6:7-8.  We reap what we sow.  If we plant the seeds of love, we will love.  Consider six simple seeds we can sow in order to bear love that glorifies God.  Two are seeds of thought, two of words and two of actions.

Thought Seeds

      The first seed is to sow thoughts about God’s love.  I John 4:19 says we love because God first loved us.  Naturally then, if we think about God’s love for us, we will love.  We can think about God’s love seen through Jesus on the cross, through the Spirit’s revelation in the word, through the creation of this world that so perfectly suits us, through daily providence and so much more.

      The second seed is to sow thoughts about how unworthy we are of God’s love.  Romans 5:8 said God demonstrated His love while we were still sinners.  We were so unlovable.  Yet, God loved us.  This seed helps us not to think too highly of ourselves.  It prompts us to love God, who is worthy, and love others, whether worthy or not, because we know that we are just like them.

Word Seeds

      In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demonstrated these two seeds in Matthew 5:44.  The first is to bless others.  We must find good things to say to and about everyone, even those who curse us.

      The second seed is to pray for others.  I remember a song I learned as a child, “You can talk about me all that you please.  I’ll talk about you down on my knees.”  Just as Jesus prayed for His crucifiers (Luke 23:34), we ought to pray for others, even those who attack us.

Action Seeds

      When Peter spoke of love in I Peter 3:8, he said that we should be compassionate, tenderhearted and courteous.  If we want to produce love in our lives, we must sow kindness.  We must follow the Golden Rule, doing unto others as we would have done to us (Matthew 7:12).

      The second seed of action is the seed of service.  In I Peter 4:8-11, Peter also explained that love meant using our abilities to serve others.  Certainly, that will take sacrifice of time and effort.  But if we sow service, we will reap love.

      We do not have to be overwhelmed.  We can simply take one day at a time and sow these seeds of love.  How many seeds can you sow this week?

Edwin L. Crozier