The Lord promises we can receive His word to bear fruit a hundredfold. This is like saying a thousand dollars will turn into one hundred thousand dollars, which is an astronomical increase. Most Christians believe God's word will help, bless, teach, and even heal them, but few expect the hundredfold harvest.

  If we took seriously the Lord's promise of a hundredfold, we would:

1. tremble in prayer as we open the Bible,
2. kiss the Bible before opening it,
3. pay double our Bible preachers and teachers (1 Tm 5:17),
4. insist our pastors preach much longer,
5. never miss our daily Bible reading,
6. go to church more often than Sunday,
7. daily read the Bible with our children and spouse, and
8. encourage our children to seriously consider a life-time ministry of preaching or teaching God's word.

When we expect the hundredfold harvest of the word, our entire lives are transformed. We receive the word not as the word of man but of God (1 Thes 2:13), "humbly welcome" it (Jas 1:21), and "act on this word" (Jas 1:22).

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, March 8, 2000

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 9, 2000