“Pastor, I sow alot into the kingdom but I can’t say I get returns. How do I get hundredfold returns for my investments in the kingdom of God?”
Oh wow! The answer to this question isn’t something you can read in a haste, you’d need patienceš. What I’m simply saying is, it’s going to be really really really long.
If you’ve ever wondered how to measure spiritual harvest, Mark 4:8 gives a very lucid explanation. It says, “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred”.
Ofcourse, we all remember the parable of the sower, how that the seeds that fell on dry grounds or the way sides didn’t produce measurable fruits. And the conclusion was that they didn’t fall on good ground. That could also mean that the word received was trivialized or carnally processed. Every carnal approach to life in general would irrefutably give you “little” results. I believe, among many other possible reasons, this is why the bible tells us that, “Bodily exercise profits little, and spirituality is profitable unto all things”.
The consequence of your carnal approach to life is the little result you get. According to Mark 4:8, in the realm of the spirit, 30 percent is a pass mark. If you get less than 30 percent for your inputs, then you didn’t engage spirituality in that pursuit.
I believe there are many times when you’ve probably prayed to God for something, but instead of granting you the entire request, He starts the process or paves the way for you – requiring you to make more effort. It’s usually not because God didn’t want to give you 100 percent response, but because of the level at which you spiritually processed that need. So He gives you 30 percent or 60 percent, as a sign that you did well, but that you can do better.
Spirituality is a powerful thing. A spiritual approach towards your life’s investments is God’s system that guarantees profit for you. It’s a law. It says, “And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased… “. In other words, if it was spirituality you engaged in search for a job, you should get something. Spiritual approach to life doesn’t permit you to return with nothing or even less than 30 percent increase.
If you’re going for a job interview, don’t just dress up and go there casually, also address the situation in the realm of the spirit. If you approach life casually, you’d get casual results. If you live life to chance, you might never get a chance.
This thing works for both application and execution. The same way you use spirituality to secure a job, you can also use it to secure a promotion. I can tell why many believers are not getting promoted, they neglected what gave them the job in the first place. If you used prayers to get a contract, also engage prayer all through the execution process. That’s how you secure another one immediately, otherwise you’d have to wait for a longer time before you get another one.
If you won a building project for instance, you can pray that every level of the building process should attract new prospects. It’s not only a furnished building that attracts prospects, the foundation too can, it just depends on whether you’re engaging carnality or spirituality. If you didn’t get at least 30 percent increase after every project, then you didn’t engage spirituality.
The scripture is a blessing to the works of our hand. It’s like a long lasting makeup; it guarantees beauty despite scars. You can brighten your business with scriptures just like you brighten your face with powder. And just as you can’t hide the fact that you used powder, use scriptures on your businesses publicly.
Now let me show you how to get hundredfold returns for your investments:
Spirituality is not measured by the level at which you pray, fast or give. That’s why you’d find innocent looking believers who are even more spiritual than the prayer warriors you know. I can fast, pray, prophesy deeply, and even give my body to be burned, but the bible says, “if I don’t have love, then my worth in the kingdom won’t carry much value (Emphasis mine)”.
Prayer is good, it’s a spiritual investment, but as potent as it is, most people who pray do so for personal gains. This may sound awkward, but have you ever prayed to God for God? Studying the scriptures and having faith in them is spirituality, but do you study them for God. It’s amazing to find out that the things that motivate our spirituality are mostly mundane. Today you’d find people who want to improve their prayer life, only because they want to be free from sicknesses and diseases. Christians go into diverse fasting and prayer programs just to boost their finances.
Thinking about these things gets me very emotional. I truly desire that believers will reorder their priorities. Painfully, many of the things we pray and fast for are things we should freely enjoy if only we understand the pattern. God has tried to explain this principle in several scriptures across the bible. The most popular is Mathew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you”. In other words, make God’s kingdom your priority for living and you won’t need to raise a prayer point regarding anything that pertains to life and even godliness.
Paying tithes and offerings are spiritual principles, but don’t be deceived, your tithe and offering doesn’t necessarily prove that you love God, it’s your heart that does. The bible says, “My son, give me your heart”. What’s the use of an offering or tithe that the heart does not endorse? Ofcourse, you’d get returns, but the maximum would be sixty folds if your heart is not involved. Don’t patronize God with your large offering envelopes. Before you put your money into the envelope, first put your heart.
The hundredfold return is the exclusive reserve for those who are selfless towards God’s kingdom. And you can’t be selfless towards God’s kingdom except you love Him heartily. Mark 10:29-30 says, “And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s. But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life”. That’s the only scripture that spoke about how to get an hundredfold return. Of course the literal meaning of that is not that you should leave your family and belongings, but that you should give God a priority over them.
In Gen 26, Isaac had the chance to relocate to Egypt considering the fact that there was recession in the land of Gerar – where he was. But no, he stayed back, only because he wanted to obey God’s instruction. God had a master plan, and Isaac wouldn’t let his personal desires deter God’s plan. So he stayed back. “Did he consider what he’d eat and drink?”. Of course he did! But for him, hunger and thirst were inconsequential when God speaks. It had to be God’s desire first.
Before you begin to worry about Isaac, see what Genesis 26:12 says;
Genesis 26:12 “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him”.
Hallelujah!
That’s the formula! Give God and His kingdom a priority in your life, and no matter what you do, no matter how little effort you put in to do it, you’d get an hundredfold return.
I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.
Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!
#EmekaAnslem
#writer
#inspiration
#knowledge
#understanding
#wisdom
#revelation
#trending
#UnthinkableHeights
