Are You Sowing Bountifully?
1 There is a saying: “The more you put into something, the more you get out of it.” This is especially true in our worship. The more time and effort we spend in preparing for meetings, preaching the Kingdom message, and showing love for our brothers, the more we will gain in spiritual growth. The opposite is also true. If we are self-sparing or halfhearted in what we do, can we truly expect satisfying results?
2 The apostle Paul stated the principle well at 2 Corinthians 9:6: “He that sows sparingly will also reap sparingly; and he that sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Are you sowing bountifully?
3 Personal Bible Study: To be fruitful ministers, we must first sow bountifully in our personal study. We should have a keen spiritual appetite. (Ps. 119:97, 105; Matt. 5:3) With all the cares of daily life pressing in on us, it takes conscious effort to develop a genuine awareness of our spiritual need. For most of us, it requires “buying out the opportune time.” (Eph. 5:16) Some arrange to get up earlier on certain days to do personal study. Others have set aside some evenings for that purpose. In what way do we reap bountifully? We acquire a stronger faith, a brighter hope, and a happier and more positive frame of mind.—Rom. 10:17; 15:4; 1 Pet. 1:13.
4 Congregation Meetings: At Psalm 122:1, David said: “I rejoiced when they were saying to me: ‘To the house of Jehovah let us go.’” Do you feel the same? Sowing bountifully means regular attendance at our five weekly meetings. Make up your mind that you are not going to allow unpleasant weather to interfere. Usually, the more obstacles we overcome, the greater our blessings.
5 Arrive early and linger afterward to share in upbuilding conversation with your brothers. Widen out your associations to include as many different ones as you can. Prepare well for the Watchtower Study and other meetings so that you can sow bountifully by commenting as you have opportunity. By “freely watering” others at meetings, you will also be “freely watered.”—Prov. 11:25.
6 Field Ministry: Perhaps nowhere is this principle of bountiful sowing more true than in the field ministry. The more time we devote to it, the more likely we are to reap interesting experiences, fruitful return visits, and productive Bible studies.
7 Sowing bountifully in the field ministry involves quality as well as quantity. An excellent aid to help us improve the quality of our ministry is the Reasoning book. Pages 9-15 list over 40 introductions covering 18 subjects to help arouse interest at the doors. If you find interest, be sure to take note of it so that you can return and reap the fruitage of your sowing. Hopefully your efforts will lead to a Bible study, and you can teach someone else how to sow bountifully.
8 If we sow bountifully, we can expect greater blessings from Jehovah.—Mal. 3:10.