Pay it Forward 100 Fold

passitforward-lgThe Parable of the Sower is a perfect example of "paying it forward." In Matthew 13, the Seed is the Word of God sown into the hearts of people, but only those who understand it are converted and healed (v.15). That is, those who receive Seed on good ground are they who hear the Word and understand it, who indeed bear fruit and produce: some hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty (v.23). For this reason, you are being given the opportunity to "pay [the Seed] forward" a hundredfold.

Pay [God] Forward

Pay [Christ] Forward

Pay [the Holy Spirit] Forward

Pay [Love] Forward

Pay [Grace] Forward

Pay [Light] Forward

Treasure in Perishable Containers

And so, since God in His mercy has given us this wonderful ministry, we never give up. We reject all shameful and underhanded methods. We do not try to trick anyone, and we do not distort the Word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know that.

If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

We don't go around preaching about ourselves; we preach Christ Jesus, the LORD. All we say about ourselves is that we are your servants because of what Jesus has done for us. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made us understand that this light is the brightness of the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

But this precious treasure -- this light and power that now shine within us -- is held in perishable containers, that is, in our weak bodies. So everyone can see that our glorious power is from God and is not our own (2 Cor. 4:1-7 NLT).