Mentoring Manna:  Gathering and Releasing

© 2003 Pastor Keith Hassell

MM00015

Gathering and Releasing:  Proverbs 11:24-26 “There is one who scatters, yet increases more; and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty.  The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself. The people will curse him who withholds grain, but blessing will be on the head of him who sells it.”   Life is a process of inhaling and exhaling, the heart receiving blood and releasing blood, eating and working, sowing and reaping, gathering and releasing.  Life begins with God as the Source.  In order to give life, we must first receive life.  We must be willing to receive ministry in order to give ministry.  Gathering and releasing is the essence of life.  For many of us, our Christian life has been a continual season of gathering.  We have literally become spiritual storehouses of information, revelation, and resource. We have been taught more in one year than some would hope to receive in a lifetime.  And somehow, we keep gathering.  Many of us sit on a wealth of “seed” that needs to be scattered in order to bring blessing and increase in the kingdom of God. It is time to release or “scatter” what we have been given.  God has poured into us His precious treasures.  Now it is time to pour out.  But rather than lose, we will increase.  As we scatter, we will gather more.  Sowing and reaping is a principle of life.  We cannot bring life to the seed, but we can scatter the seed and allow God to bring life.  I am not the source of life, but I can receive life from God and release His life into others.  As I receive life from the Father and then release it to others, I receive back a fruitful life, a life that has been increased and multiplied.  Jesus said in John 12:24-25, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain.  He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”  Jesus came to give His life away, and in so doing, received a harvest of souls.  His increased His life by giving it away.  He became the Seed that is still producing a mighty harvest of souls!  If we try to hold on to what we have, we will lose it.  But if we scatter the seed God has given us, then we will increase more.  If we continue to gather and not release, we are destined to become like the Dead Sea that has no life.  Why?  It has an inlet but it has no outlet.  One of the reasons we do not see fruit in our lives is because we have trained ourselves in receiving but not in giving. We must change. Let’s begin to scatter what we have been given. Let’s not be a reservoir.  Let’s be a RIVER! 

Application:  One of the greatest ways to release God’s blessing in our lives is to give.  It is hard to stay depressed when we are giving.  The principle of God is this:  we will reap what we sow.  The purpose of a harvest of grain is for food and for sowing toward a future harvest.  Grain only ruins or is destroyed by pests when stored in the barns.  The only way to keep the benefit of the grain is to use what you have been given.  Each of us have been given by God certain talents, gifts, abilities, knowledge, experience, money, and resources.  What a waste to see them sit in the storehouses of our mind, our home, our bodies, and never be released to benefit others.  Ask God to show you ways to start releasing what you have been given in a way that blesses His kingdom and the people around you.  We have one life to live and one life to give.  Let’s take every opportunity to scatter the seed God has placed in our hand.  Only what we sow can grow.  Don’t end this life sitting on your bag of seed!

Prayer:  “Heavenly Father, thank you for the resources you have placed in my life.  Help me to increase my life by giving it away.  Help me to be a blessing to those around me.  I believe as I scatter the seed you have placed in my life, You will cause me to increase for even greater opportunities to give again.  Help me not to be a reservoir.  But let the Your river of life flow through me.  I pray this in Jesus’ name.  Amen.”

We love you!

Pastors Keith & Sheila

Grace Fellowship

P.O. Box 260

Rusk, Texas 75785

(903) 683-6550