"That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater..." saith the Lord. What about the seed for sowing? Now "bread-corn is bruised," the Bible says. Otherwise there can be no bread for the hungry. Now the seed for sowing is not crushed, because it must be planted. There is life in the seed which only the crushing, and the milling, and the mingling with the oil, and the baking in the oven... can make into the true Bread of Life for the hungry. But there is also a germ of life in the seed which God would plant in the earth for the purposes of reproduction. He alone can choose which it shall be. But in either case there is suffering. None of us are to be exempted from that, if we are to reign with Him. But the measure and the nature of the suffering differs according to God's specific purpose for the seed. Many of God's people have not known the crushing and the bruising that others have known; and we may wonder at God's ways. But doing God's will is what counts in His eyes. And there are many who have suffered in their fruitlessness and barrenness, feeling within themselves that they are accomplishing little or nothing of eternal value in the earth. They look about and see others bringing forth fruit. Yet they too sincerely desire to do God's will. Many of these, unknown to themselves, have planted seeds of Truth in the lives of others that have borne much fruit for the Kingdom of God. "Unknown to themselves," we say; because God planned it this way for their own refinement of character, and for His own glory, And the reason they have not partaken of the joy of this fruit is because God ordained that they would become identified with the seed that they have sown. Let us remember this, for it is an important principle in God. We must become identified with the Truth that we teach... with the ministry that we hold forth unto others... with the seed that we bear. Our present joy, then, is not as the world giveth... not a manufactured joy that soon withers on the vine; but "we rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). It is a joy in the midst of weeping, in anticipation of the true joy that is to be revealed: "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, Bearing precious seed, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him." (Psalm 126:5, 6) Or, as the song-writer says: "The tears of the sower And the song of the reaper, Shall mingle together, in joy bye and bye" They not only sowed the good seed of the Word of God, but they became identified with the seed that they had sown. All they were aware of was the isolation, the darkness, the loneliness. Is it not true that the reaper stands out in the eyes of the Church as the only ministry that really matters? And yet apart from the sower there could not have come forth in others the fruit that God so desired. Why would God not allow them to partake of the blessing of that fruit themselves? Because the seed they are sowing is "precious"... and so are they "precious" in His sight, and He will not allow them to receive glory from men. He has reserved them for the Day of His own glory. John the Baptist must decrease, that Christ might increase. Moses must die and be buried in a vale in the land of Moab, while the people of God (who were much more rebellious and disobedient than he) would march into the land and possess it. Stephen is stoned to death, and Saul who helped stone him becomes the fruit of Stephen's martyrdom, and preaches the Gospel far and wide. Stephen is simply taken away by the believers and buried. Paul, who once ministered in great fruitfulness and blessing is taken off to prison, while others with a lesser ministry have freedom to move about ministering the Gospel. But Paul had made a great discovery: that as death worked in him, so would life work in others. Let believers everywhere count the cost. And let God's ministers count the cost. If we are prepared to be what God wants us to be, and to plant the good seed of the Word of God in the hearts of men, then by His grace let us prepare our hearts for the day and hour when God would send us into isolation and death... Not necessarily a physical death, but a spiritual one. A death that will bring isolation from brethren, discouragement, ostracism, and a sense of futility to yourself... but fruitfulness and blessing unto others. Can you identify? Or do you wish to identify with the ways of the Lord? Or do you wish to save your life, hoping thereby to find it? Hoping to find true blessing, true fulfillment, true satisfaction in what you are doing rather than in going God's way?