As I begin to write this it has been a week since the Father gave me revelation on Him being the multiplier, The Great Multiplier. This morning He gave me additional insight. Multiplication does not always come at one time, although it can. The widow and the oil is a case in point, the oil kept on being multiplied until all the vessels were filled. But, the meal and the oil of the other widow we read about kept being multiplied until the drought was over.
God created the plants, animals and mankind to multiply, to be fruitful and multiply. We gain a lot of understanding from Jesus’ parable of the sower. The seed, the Word, is sown. Over time it puts down roots, the shoot comes up, the plant grows and fruit is produced. The fruit has to go through a process of maturing and ripening before the harvest. With the wheat or barley many individual grains of seed are sown together, grow up and ripen together, thus the sickle can be put in and all can be harvested at one time. But, that is not the way it is with many types of seeds.
I think of growing tomatoes. A tomato seed is planted, a small plant appears and it grows. One day you may notice that there is a blossom or maybe a few blossoms. Then you notice one or more have been pollinated and a small green tomato has set on. Over the next several days and weeks more and more small fruits are set. Notice however that there are still more blossoms on the plant. After a few weeks the small little fruits have grown and you will notice that one is beginning to become much lighter in color, almost white. That soon begins to show some pink color and as a few days go by that pink turns red until you ascertain that the tomato is ready to harvest.
You and I know that you don’t immediately cut down the plant since you have harvested. The harvest will continue for several weeks, the multiplication is accomplished over time. Although you have begun the harvest there are still more blossoms and more little fruit being set. And, many plants work exactly the same way. I’ve grown strawberries and I may find one ripe berry, then a day or two later there is another, maybe several others. And, this process continues for a few weeks, sometimes all Summer if you happen to be growing “ever-bearing” strawberries. There is multiplication over time. Also, when the harvest is over one does not dig out the berry plants as they will produce another crop the following year. This is true of most fruit trees. One would not cut down the peach tree once all the peaches for this year have been picked. The tree will multiply again next year.
There is another thing we need to think about in regard to the parable of the sower. We are told that the seed is the Word, as mentioned earlier. But, the Word isn’t sown all at one time. It continues to be sown so that there will be a continuous harvest. Paul addresses the subject of giving in 2 Corinthians 9 and says that “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” (Verse 6) He follows this in verse 7 by stating that God loves a cheerful (hilarious) giver. But, I don’t believe that Paul is implying that we give one time and we are done. We keep giving regularly and we will be reaping regularly. The increase, the multiplication, comes over time.
Sometimes God may bring the multiplication all at one time and at other times it may be over a process of time. That can be over days, week, months, or even years. Sometimes it may be over a very short time but isn’t just instantaneous. I have thought on the miracle of the loaves and fishes. When Jesus blessed the 5 loaves and 2 fishes I don’t believe that there was all at once a huge pile of food. It says he broke and gave to the disciples and they took what they had been given to the people who had been seated on the green grass. It appears the multiplication took place within the disciple’s hands. As they gave to each individual the amount in their hands continually multiplied.
My God is a multiplier. He is the Great Multiplier. He can and will multiply what He gives in the way and manner that is appropriate at the time.
A few weeks have passed since writing the above and He has brought more clarity to me regarding multiplication. Multiplication of things may occur as the above example of the loaves and fishes BUT, God has a different method He generally uses to multiply money. The apostle Paul was inspired to show us that in chapter 9 of 2 Corinthians. In verse 1 he begins to speak about giving, ministering to saints, other believers, who were in need at that time. In verse 6 he begins to show us that money is likened to seed that is sown. He tells us that money, just like a farmer sowing seed in the field, has to be sown to be able to produce a harvest. If one sows just a small handful of seed or small amount of money he will reap only a small harvest. It is he that sows bountifully or is sowing a great amount of seed that will reap a large, abundant harvest.
Paul then states in verse 10 that He, referring to God, who provides seed to the sower, the farmer, that produces food for himself and more seed to sow for the next crop will also multiple the seed, the money, we sow. In like manner the money we sow will produce a harvest with enough to purchase everything we have need of in this life and also with plenty left over to sow, to give, again. For money to be multiplied we need to give it away, not lay it up somewhere.
This law of “kingdom finances” is totally backward to what most of us have been taught regarding our money, our finances. We have been taught to hold onto and try to find ways to make our money stretch. Some may become “expert” at using the world’s ways and means of making money but God plainly says He is the one that gives us power to get wealth (Deut. 8:18). He provides the seed, the money, to sow. He is the One who says He will multiply that seed. He is the Great Multiplier.
Garry D. Pifer
1/8/19, 2/6/19
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