All this talk about giving brings to mind a traditional American folk hero, Johnny Appleseed. Wherever he went, he sowed apple seeds. We picture him crisscrossing the east coast of the United States in colonial times with a big bag of apple seeds over his shoulder. On his travels, he planted apple trees that would bear fruit. Wherever we go, we should be sowing finances. To the one who is sowing, more seed will be given! His store of seed will increase. This Biblical truth is stated in 2 Corinthians 9:10-12:

A friend of mine once told me that his son worked his way through college by being a waiter at a very popular chain restaurant. He told his dad that the staff was reluctant to work on Sundays. “And why would that be?” his dad asked. “Because all the church people come in and they are notorious for not being generous tippers,” was his son’s reply. What a sad reflection and testimony this example places upon the church. We can do better than this. Don’t eat all your seed by spending or storing it all. Plant it. Expect it to grow and bear fruit. No successful farmer would ever eat his seed. He knows he will not have a new crop if he consumes his seed instead of planting it.