The Lord asked me this question one time, He said, "What was the first gift I gave man?" I thought, "Well, that's easy. Genesis 1:26-28 says that God gave man dominion and authority over the earth." Then the Lord said, "What was the second gift I gave man?" Well, to be very honest, I'd never thought of it in terms like that, so I said, "I don't know."

He said, "If gift number one is in verses 26 and 28, then surely if you keep reading you'll find gift number two."

I read Verse 29, and it says, "Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed." Seed is the second gift that God gave man. I looked in my center cross reference in the King James Bible next to the phrase herb bearing seed, and it gave me the Hebrew rendering which means seeding seed.

What is seeding seed? It represents provision. If you are familiar with farming, then you know that the seeding seed is the seed you keep back for replanting. It's your best seed.

When a crop comes in, the first thing the farmer will do is go look at that crop and find the best part. He does not consume it or sell it at the market. It's the seeding seed for next year's planting.

That's the reason God wants the tithe of your income off the top; it's your seeding seed. The worse thing a farmer can do is go through the field, look at all his corn, and take the worst of it and say, "Well, this is not very good anyway, we'll just throw it in the barn and plant it next year." If he does this, his seed will keep degenerating until it's absolutely useless.

If you spend your tithe and only give God what is left over, don't blame Him because you're not getting maximum results. You didn't present Him with the seeding seed. God is saying to us, "You have the authority to determine your own destiny based upon the seeds that you sow."

God gave Adam authority and he gave him seed, that's it. God didn't plant his seed for him. He expected Adam to do it. He's saying to Adam, "I'm giving you authority and I'm giving you seed If you don't sow this seed, you won't be provided for and it will be your own fault!"

If Adam eats that seed, then he has no provision. If he wastes the seed, then he has no provision. If all he does is preserve the seed, he has no provision. If he carries his seed around with him and talks about how holy it is he has no provision. The only way you have provision is by planting the seed. God established that principle and that's the way He expects you and I to live.

Let's look at this law in Genesis 8:22. While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. Is the earth still here? Yes. Then this law is still in effect.

Isn't it amazing that we will adapt to day and night? We have lights in our house because we know it's going to become dark at night. We adapt to summer and winter by wearing summer and winter clothing.

But the Bible also says that as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest shall not cease. That seems to be the only law that we ignore and it is the one that this entire planet revolves around. You are a product of the law of seed time and harvest.

Galatians 6:7 says, "Whatsoever a man sows that shall be also reap." The Phillips translation says, "A man's harvest in life depends entirely upon the seed which be sows." The way I live today is a product and result of the seeds I have sown. If you don't like the way you're living, then replant.

If you sow bad seeds, you will get a bad crop. If you sow good seeds, you will get a good crop. If your life consists of constantly talking negative all the time and you never seem to overcome, then you need to plow up your ground and replant. Start talking what the Word of God says, not what the world says.

Source: Are You Tired of Sowing Much & Reaping Little? by Jerry Savelle.
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries