Sowing Wind or Sowing Seed?

This morning I was reading from Hosea and this verse caught my attention:
Hosea 8:7 NIV. “They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. The stalk has no head; it will produce no flour...".

As I read that verse I was reminded of two verses from the New Testament:

2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV
'Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

Galatians 6:7-8 NIV
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. [8] Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life."

I did a quick search on all the times sowing and reaping were mentioned in the New Testament and they were mentioned 30+ times combined. Clearly sowing and reaping are important and apply to both the natural and to the spiritual as well. What one sows, is what one reaps. Period!

All around us are advertisements for products that try to take shortcuts on this well defined natural principle. I think the diet advertisements are the worst - 'lose weight without trying', 'eat all the same foods and still lose weight', etc. Results without action, or much action... and its just not true.

If I think about the original verse from Hosea, they were sowing wind...or in modern day language, 'all words but no action'. They said one thing and did another. The Lord however was calling them to account on that, and their empty words (wind) were going to reap a whirlwind.

Without getting into a discussion on judgement, I want to take this principle and apply it to my walk with the Lord. If I want to experience the fruit of intimacy with the Lord and healing and miracles as I represent His Kingdom authority around me, then I need to sow the correct 'seed' in my life.

I won't grow closer to the Lord, if I don't spend time with Him. Good intentions are not sufficient. This relationship, like all relationships takes time and effort. It takes times of communication, and interaction. It takes exposure to how one another thinks, etc. Thinking back on the early days of my relationship to my sweetheart, we spent countless hours just talking, getting to know how one another thought, etc. It is the same with the Lord, we need to spend time alone with Him to get to know Him for ourselves. If we only ever talk about getting close to God, but never spend anytime with Him, we are sowing wind only.

If I want to see God work through me in healing and miracles, than I need to be sowing the proper things in my life. I heard one pastor describe the process they used as developing the theology of healing, then developing the practice of praying for people regularly, then finally experiencing the fruit of seeing people healed when they prayed. They sowed the proper seed, and reaped accordingly. If we only ever talk about healing, but are not praying for people, we are sowing wind.

Lord, I pray that You will help us to move beyond sowing wind, or only words. Help us to start sowing actions (seed) that will result in real fruit in our lives. Help me to be willing to put in the effort required to see fruitfulness in my life.