Planters and Waterers

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

May the abundant grace of God be upon us today as we rejoice and be glad in this new day that the Lord has made! May the peace of God that comes from the apprehension and the reception of His grace and mercy into our hearts be our experience in this new day of thankfulness, excitement and opportunity as we live in Him, being that which He has made us to be.

As we prayerfully meditate upon the Word of God which is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart, we remember the writings of the Prophet Isaiah (ch 55) who was given to write in his day that the Word that goes out of the mouth of the LORD would not return unto me( HIm) void, but it shall accomplish that which I (He) please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I (He) sent it. To illustrate that truth, in the previous verse, he had compared the absoluteness of this promise by comparing it to the natural occurrences of our weather, saying, "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, but it..

The effect of the Word that is sowed into good ground will bring forth fruit as Jesus said in His parable in the 13th chapter of Matthew, saying, But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. It is similar to that which Isaiah wrote concerning the desired effect of the preached Word (upon the messinger) that goes forth from your mouth today as messengers of the LORD, "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the LORD, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."

We notice that the Word has two effects: It provides seed to the sower and bread to the eater. As planters and a waterers of the Word of Life, may we be reminded that it is our responsibility to plant and to water, but that the Lord promises to take care of the increase, the increase of and to faith in Christ. May we never forget that. I remember as a young man listening to our minister say, "Don't sow the seed one day, water it for a while, and then take the sickle and began to harvest." I have never forgot that counsel. Let us be patient so that the Word will be able to work freely in the hearts of those to whom we are ministering to, praying for the increase of the Word into their hearts so that their lives would be transformed from within as a result of the Word bringing life to them. The Word is the seed and it is an incorruptible seed. When that Seed is planted, and It is watered, and when the LORD gives It life, It will blossom and bloom. When we are ministering the Word either in preaching or in visitation, may we see with the eye of faith the cypress instead of the thorn, the myrtle instead of the briar as we wait for the Spirit of the LORD to enter into the minds, into the hearts and into the souls of those to whom we are bringing the grace of God in Christ Jesus.

Lastly, may we be so filled with the promise of the LORD as to the sureness of the eventual effect of His Word, that we would be enabled to go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. This is what it means to live in the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, for in that knowledge we see souls as through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and that which He desires them to come to know for themselves. May the Lord bless each of us as we continue to labor together in the vineyard of the LORD. Be encouraged that the work that you are doing is bearing fruit unto the LORD. He said it is and therefore, we believe it! And as you minister, may you be filled with the abundance of the joy of the LORD.

May the grace of Jesus be upon you this day in your labors.

Pastor Orval Wirkkala