Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days

"Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth... As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all" (Eccl. 11:1,2,5). It never gets old to me to tell people of the glorious works that Jesus has done in my life, and the cost he had to pay to make it all possible. Really it's always a new experience, regardless of how many times I tell these things, because it is something that is full of life and joy that comes from heaven. It used to be somewhat exasperating however for me to work with someone for a good while, and spend a lot of time helping their faith along, and they end up just falling off the map. But l learned by patience and experience that there is nothing to be discouraged about in that kind of situation, because the seed that has been sewn into a person cannot be sewn out of them. If it's actual truth and reality in Christ that we are distributing to people, it will remain with them even if it is covered over by a lot of the nonsense of this world. Regarding our first text verses above, I have seen many times where someone returned to the faith that had been sewn to them, even after leaving it far behind for many years. Once someone has given space for something of God's Spirit to be sewn into their heart and mind, it will be there for God to water and increase at opportune times. I have found over long experience that life is more about waiting than anything else. Waiting is the big test, and it can indeed be very big at times.

The payoff for waiting on the Lord faithfully however far outweighs the cost thereof: "But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isa. 40:31). The phrase 'mount up' comes from the Hebrew word 'alah,' and it means 'to ascend.' The verse is speaking of the coming of the Lord, and the resurrection of the dead, and transformation to immortality by both the dead and living who have been faithful, and are 'caught up' to meet the Lord as he comes (I Cor. 15:51-54; Philip. 3:20,21; I Thess. 4:16,17). Even as waiting on the Lord in general pays good dividends, so does waiting on the Lord for the results of our labors with people to whom we have sewn good seed. One thing is certain, we can't make conclusions according to what we see people doing, regardless of how long they have left off faith in Christ. Once that seed is sewn, it stays sewn, even when people do everything they can to bury it. This doesn't mean that everyone who has heard the truth of the Gospel will be saved, but it does mean that many will, even after appearing that they have rejected it. That is how the Gospel and the salvation plan of God works. It's really simple: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" (Rom. 10:13-15)

This Gospel is furthered by the testimony of those who have been partakers of it: "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God... For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe" (I Cor. 1:18,21). Once someone has opened themselves up to receive of the Gospel of Christ, whether they come to the place of being born again or not; they can never be totally the same again, even if it appears that they are. I've seen it too many times. People I've worked with closely disappear and go on with their old ways, maybe for a lot of years. But sometimes they end up coming back, not being able to escape the oft conviction of the holy Ghost that I had sewed to them before. I have to say, it is a wonderful thing and a gratifying feeling to see the fruit of my labor long after I had labored in it. So I always cast my bread on the waters, and sometimes I find it after many days. We should never be dismayed about people not choosing to follow the Lord immediately. A person is a complex thing, and it often takes a lot of time for someone to sort things out and thoroughly make up their mind about what they really want to do with their lives. When you have presented someone with the very best option for their life that exists, and it is a miracle option like nothing else; a lot of times they end up with enough sense to see that, and come back around to it. So we should do like our second text verse says, and never fail to liberally distribute to others what God has done in our lives, and what Jesus came from heaven and died for. And as that verse says, we never know what calamity someone may encounter, but we do know that faith in Jesus Christ will prepare them for anything like that, far more than any other thing that they might have.

As our third text verse above states, we know nothing more about how God is working in someone's heart where good seed has been sewn, than we do about how the unborn child is developing in the womb. It is something that can take time, and it is something that we cannot see with our eyes and comprehend with our mind. The unborn child is a very good analogy in fact, especially in light of what the scripture pointedly tell us about faith: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). We don't see what happens to the seed we sew into people's hearts, but we can trust that God will do something good with it, as much as the person will allow. Again the scriptures make this clear: "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (II Cor. 5:7). The following passage is speaking of us waiting on our salvation, but the same principle of patience and waiting applies to the seed we have sewn to others who appear to have left faith behind: "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it" (Rom. 8:24,25). So the bottom line is that we should never give up on anyone whom we have worked with to get the faith of Christ into their hearts. As long as it remains true that Jesus died for them, and as long as he is the Lord, there is always hope and assurance that he is doing all he can to procure their redemption and salvation. We should follow suit with prayer, love, and patience. Wherever good seed has been sewn, there is all the more space for him to work with someone. It may take a while to see the fruits of our labor at times, but it is more than worth the wait when it comes to pass. Amen.