Posts
Monday, October 10
Maple trees stand ready to burst forth with golden-bronze highlights.
Beechnuts tickle the leaves as they fall to the ground.
Red tinges the leaves of the burning bushes.
Pumpkin patches set ablaze with orange, plump fruit.
Cornfields ripe for gathering.
My favorite time of year. Fall. It always brings to mind the seasonal word harvest.
Nature goes through its seasons, as Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:1, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (NKJV)
Just as nature, we, as Christians, have circumstances that bring rain, sunshine, heat, cold, storm, calm, dryness, fire, and flood. Our aim is to always work toward having a spiritual harvest, no matter what the circumstantial season.
But how do we produce the luscious harvest God desires for our lives?
God once whispered to my heart…
“If the ground is not turned, I cannot plant My seeds. A life as a lovely green meadow with its abundance of wild flowers is a fair picture of beauty. But there’s more to be had from the rich soil lying beneath the surface blanket of a lovely green pasture. Cultivating this meadow can produce a harvest of fruit, of nourishment, of good things for others.
“The Hand of the One tilling the soil is the One Who loves it the most and sees the greatest potential in it for a harvest. The roots of unwanted growth beneath the surface must be ripped out that the ground might be tilled and furrowed. This gives room to accept the seeds of new growth and eventually welcome a beautiful, golden field of harvest, waving its ripened grain in the breeze.
“A life in the Hands of the One guiding the plow will display a fruitful meadow. When it is uprooted and turned over, it welcomes the plantings of the Master Husbandman and gladdens the hearts of others with its lovely field of harvest.”
What is damaging the harvest in your life? Hmmm. Do you have any roots of unwanted growth? I know I do.
Any roots of bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, jealousy, judging, gossip, complaining, doubt, worry, or hypocrisy, among other things, will destroy the possibility of an abundant, spiritual growth and harvest. The roots of unwanted growth must be ripped out in order to have good soil.
Jesus explained the good soil in the Parable of the Sower, “But the good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God’s message and produce a plentiful harvest for God - thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as was planted in their hearts.” (Mark 4:20 TLB)
What are you harvesting? Is the soil of your heart producing what it should? Or maybe you have a mixed crop, having planted negative seeds in with the positive seeds?
God told Israel, “Do not plant two kinds of seed in your vineyard; if you do, not only the crops you plant but also the fruit of the vineyard will be defiled.” (Deut. 22:9 NIV)
Reproducing the character of God in our lives requires the planting of His Seed-Word in our hearts, not the seeds the world spits at us. There can only be one Seed in our hearts!
Don’t like the crop you’re growing? Maybe its time to check those seed bags! Paul tells us, “Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!” (Gal. 6:7-8a MSG)
If we want our lives to have an abundant harvest spilling over with ripe fruit, we need to rip out the old roots, weed, and plant God’s seeds. Then, we will see a bumper crop at harvest time, for “the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.” (Gal. 6:8b MSG)
“A life in the Hands of the One guiding the plow will display a fruitful meadow.” May your life be cultivated by the Husbandman that it may “produce a harvest of fruit, of nourishment, of good things for others.” And may your harvest be plentiful!
Today's post is part of the ChristianWriters.com blog chain on the topic of harvest. For other great posts, check out the list in the right sidebar.
Please join me over at LivingBetterat50+ for my new place of monthly devotionals.
I loved this, Lynn. I'm afraid my soil is filled with potatoes. I planted them years ago and no matter how much I till my soil to help the wheat grow strong, I keep finding potatoes.
LOL Carol, you are such a hoot! Too funny! Thank you,sweetie, for all your wonderful comments! You make my heart happy! Bless you!
Ripping out the roots is hard work but necessary to please God. Thanks for reminding us how to best please God and reap a great harvest!
Well said. I like the line "...not the seeds the world spits at us."
Terrific post, Lynn. As I read it, I couldn't help but wonder what seemingly good seeds I have planted that might not be what or where God wants them. Of course we have to be on the lookout for the tares and weeds, but I think sometimes we need to ask God if we're planting barley where He wants wheat or oranges where apples are better suited. I'm thinking specifically of hobbies, activities and other commitments that might be leaching away the nutrients of our soul's soil and not allowing what's supposed to be growing to come to maturity.
I am not really into wheat or potatoes, can I plant pumpkins or watermelon instead?
Nice illustration of the sower and harvester in our lives.
As always wonderful and just a much needed message. Once again our harvest posts will be similar. I guess God puts almost the same things on our hearts. I always love reading your messages.
Oh Lynn, what a wonderful word the Lord whispered to you. I just kept reading it over and over. As I press into Him and get closer to the things of God, I'm letting him pull out those roots that shouldn't be there. I want Him to be the only seed in my heart. I long for that. Thank you for sharing this beautiful post!
Hugs,
~Erin
This is beautiful Lynn, a beautiful analogy of what God is doing in our lives. Fall is my favourite time of year also, the time our senses are heightened more than any other, but also a time of quiet reflection. Thank you for sharing with us from the richness of your heart.
Hey Lynn, I appreciate what you had to say. It is pretty amazing that a common theme can produce such a wide "harvest" of perspectives from the participants
Great post Lynn! Sowing and reaping, seed-time and harvest. Lord, you have given me the tools for planting. May my heart be a tender and fertile place for growth and may it's bountiful harvest bring You all the glory!
a thought provoking harvest message...
thanks and a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig hug
JayBee
Beautiful gentle whisper! Beautiful post. Sometimes its so hard to have the roots pulled up -- painful, but necessary. I can be so short-sighted sometimes, forgetting to look past the moment, beyond my current circumstances to the hope that lies in God alone, author and creator of my life, the sure and steady Hand that thankfully refuses to leave me to my own designs.
Fall is my favorite time of year, too. I'm not much of a gardener, though, I admit, and I do not look forward to any of the tasks associated with it, whether it be planting, tending, harvesting or cleaning up after wards ... I hope this doesn't translate into my spiritual life.
Yes, I think we all have some weeds growing among the wheat no matter how hard we struggle. But with God's Word, we can grow less and less weeds and more crops. Thank you for another beautiful post, Lynn.
And Carol, coming from potato country, your comment is well note, although we WANT to find potatoes, but no weeds!
Beautiful Lynn! The fruit? I hope that it looks like love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I wrestle with injustices. I always want the injustice fixed thinking that the letting go will be easier - and it certainly would, but not all injustices are fixed now - God takes care of them in His own time - I am to let them go and not revisit them - but I still struggle with that:(
Great post Lynn.
Sorry about arriving late...busy week. Fall is my favorite time of year as well. And I agree with the quote, "As you sow, so shall you reap." I think that's the root of many of our nation's current troubles.
Peace and Blessings
"...always work toward having a spiritual harvest, no matter what the circumstantial season."
So hard. It takes faith to even *want* to do that. Thankful for God in my life.
"Don’t like the crop you’re growing? Maybe its time to check those seed bags!"
=) Excellent. Just what I needed to hear today, actually. Instead of whining or complaining, I'm going to switch bags.
Oh, Lynnie! that was wonderful! My soil always neds this type of churning up!