Happy Easter everyone! I Thank God that He gave us His Son so we could be forgiven of our sins. Last week we studied a time to die in Ecclesiastes 3, and Jesus knew when His time was. So thankful for Jesus’s unselfishness just for a sinner like me. Today we are continuing in Ecclesiastes in chapter 3 verse 2, "A Time To Plant”.

   Throughout the Bible we are given specifics about planting and of course if you are planting anything you are literally planting or sowing seeds. Sometimes seed planting is not always about the vegetation kind, there are many other seeds or types of planting we can do, and we will get into that today. The whole purpose of planting anything is to see it grow. It literally starts in Genesis.

Genesis 1:11   And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

Genesis 2:8    And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed

Genesis 1:29   And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

We can see that God does the first planting. And then passes the responsibility on to Adam. Here God is talking about the Earth’s vegetation. Adam would have to continue to plant seeds to keep growing.

As we read more in Genesis God talks about Adam and Eve’s seed. Let’s get real, they will be having to "plant” their seeds in order for them to populate the Earth. God refers to seeds as your offspring. Your generation will continue to grow. I do not want to get into the details here, but I think you know where I am going with it.

  God also planted people.

2 Samuel 7:10   Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more, as beforetime,

1 Chronicles 17:9   Also I will ordain a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, and they shall dwell in their place, and shall be moved no more; neither shall the children of wickedness waste them any more, as at the beginning,

Psalm 92:13   Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Jeremiah 12:2   Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.

I like Psalm 92:13. Have we planted ourselves in the Lord’s house? I believe God does put us in places to be used, but are we planting ourselves in Him. Are we taking root in God’s word, His ways, His righteousness?

Psalm 1:3  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

Isaiah 51:16   And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

There is so much scripture about us being planted and us being planted by what we do. As mentioned early on, the whole reason for planting is to grow, prosper, bear fruit etc... In every aspect of our lives, we should be planting or preparing to plant.

  Our social lives should be planted to where it continues to grow, not be weeded down. We need to make sure we plant our life around those who will help keep us watered and fertilized.

Proverbs 18:24   A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

Proverbs 22:24   Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:

Proverbs 27:17    Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

 You can read all through proverbs with it showing who we should be friends with and who to avoid. It’s a matter of who you plant yourself around in your social life? Are those around you causing you to grow? I personally do not have a large number of people in my inner circle of friends. I avoid spending much time with those whom seem to drain me.

     Matthew 25 starting in verse 14 has a very interesting about what the Kingdom of God is like. It’s the story of the three men receiving talents (money)from their master. 2 of them pretty much invested their talents and received a return on them and the third servant hid his talent and did not gain any return. But look what he said about the third.

  Matthew 25:26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

  Prime example of we need to be sure we are constantly planting things in Heaven.  Though this story is a parable Jesus spoke to His disciples, I think we could almost apply it to our money and possessions or even ourselves. Are we using things we get to continue to grow and prosper, especially to be use for God’s glory. How many of us have our talents bringing returns? It does not have to be money, it could be anything. Or are we hiding what has been given to us for our own selfish reasons.

Malachi 10: (8) Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. (10) Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. (12) And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

  You can take what you wish out of those verses, but we are clearly given a time to plant our talents to God, and He will bring forth a blessing so big, it will overwhelm us.  

Probably the most important time and thing for us to plant is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We know about the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Are we sowing the seed of Christ around us. Just as the parable teaches, not everyone will take the seed, none the less we are to continue planting the seed of Christ everywhere.

2 Corinthians 9:6   But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Galatians 6:7    Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

Galatians 6:8  For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.

Next week we will be looking at the reaping of what we sow. Or for better words, harvesting what we planted.