You Reap More Than You Sow
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24
While it varies, an ear of corn can have anywhere from 200 to 400 kernels. A stalk of sweet corn can have anywhere from 2 to 6 ears. So - let me help you with the math - up to 2400 kernels of corn from one - that's ONE - seed. That's excellent design, and important information. If the spiritual is revealed in the physical - and it is, check out Romans 1:19-20 - then those things we do and say and think also produce more than is planted. That's good news for those sowing to the spirit, not so much for those sowing to the flesh.
Have you ever had a field taken over by brambles? It can turn even the most pleasant pasture into a war zone. Would you plow and fertilize and water a plot of ground and then sow greenbriar? I know it sounds crazy, but most of us do that to ourselves without thinking twice about it. We sow with wild abandon "...envy, jealousy, strife, fits of anger..."(Galatians 5:20) as if they weren't going to have any effect on us at all, but it's like planting brambles in your heart. If unchecked, they take over until the only remedy is a burn-off, and even then you still have to cope with the roots. Self-inflicted misery doesn't have an easy fix.
But ...love, joy, peace... and the rest? The kind of investment bonanza they bring makes the toil of nurturing them a small price to pay, indeed!
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galatians 6:7-8
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Laws of the Harvest Part 2
You Reap After You Sow
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Potting soil. Empty milk cartons. Butter beans. All part of a kindergardener's introduction to farming. OK, not exactly "farming". We planted our beans in our little cartons and watered them carefully - well, we were 5, so our first watering was more enthusiastic than careful. After pouring out our "soil soup" and starting over, we carried our beans home to put on a window sill and wait for our harvest to come in. Did I mention we were 5? I can't speak for my classmates of 50 years ago, but when a few days went by without any home-grown beans on the menu, I dumped out the dirt to look at the planted bean. In case you were wondering, they don't respond well to that kind of treatment. Yes, I'm a bean-killer!
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8
We are living in the "Instant" generation. We no longer want it 'now', we want it yesterday. In today's world, patience is not a virtue. It's a sign of weakness. Waiting for anything seems to be beyond our ability - or maybe just beyond our desires. But in the Kingdom of Heaven (that realm of the heart where people willingly submit to the will of God), patient endurance is a vital part of God's design for our lives. We "wait upon the Lord" to renew our strength, until the fruit of the Spirit comes to ripeness, until the proper season. And if we don't? We short-circuit the blessing of God and rob ourselves of His provision. So, don't give up. Don't jump the gun. Don't pull your beans out of the dirt before they can sprout!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
Potting soil. Empty milk cartons. Butter beans. All part of a kindergardener's introduction to farming. OK, not exactly "farming". We planted our beans in our little cartons and watered them carefully - well, we were 5, so our first watering was more enthusiastic than careful. After pouring out our "soil soup" and starting over, we carried our beans home to put on a window sill and wait for our harvest to come in. Did I mention we were 5? I can't speak for my classmates of 50 years ago, but when a few days went by without any home-grown beans on the menu, I dumped out the dirt to look at the planted bean. In case you were wondering, they don't respond well to that kind of treatment. Yes, I'm a bean-killer!
Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:7-8
We are living in the "Instant" generation. We no longer want it 'now', we want it yesterday. In today's world, patience is not a virtue. It's a sign of weakness. Waiting for anything seems to be beyond our ability - or maybe just beyond our desires. But in the Kingdom of Heaven (that realm of the heart where people willingly submit to the will of God), patient endurance is a vital part of God's design for our lives. We "wait upon the Lord" to renew our strength, until the fruit of the Spirit comes to ripeness, until the proper season. And if we don't? We short-circuit the blessing of God and rob ourselves of His provision. So, don't give up. Don't jump the gun. Don't pull your beans out of the dirt before they can sprout!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Laws of the Harvest Part 1
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
There are a lot of crazy laws on the books. Here in Alabama, if you carry your ice cream cone in your back pocket, you're in violation. Next door in Mississippi, it's illegal to shoot squirrels from the State house - while Congress is in session. (I suppose they're afraid it would be too much like shooting deer over bait.) Out in California, if you detonate your nuclear device within one city's limits, it'll cost you $500. Up in Boston, you are forbidden to bathe without a prescription, and don't bring your peanuts to eat in church unless you want to spend a year in jail! I find a lot of humor - and not much sense - in many of the laws of men. Thankfully, the laws of men can be repealed (like these I mentioned), but there are laws that are unchanging, kept in place by an Almighty Hand. Gravity, motion, thermodynamics are all laws that demonstrate an incredibly wise and skilled Designer whose promises can be depended on, like those of Genesis 8:22, and I'd like to elaborate on a few of them.
Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
Have you ever planted turnips and harvested tomatoes, or peas and got potatoes? One of the great things about the Master Designer is His consistency. You harvest what you plant, and that is true in the spiritual realm as well. Your deeds are seeds, and the Word says that the harvest will come in. So, if you're living by faith, hope, and love then you can reasonably expect a return of the same, and if you're doing the works of the flesh you ought not be surprised by the outcome. The harvest of sin is death - death of relationships, hopes, and dreams. Don't fool yourself. Sowing wild oats and praying for a crop failure is no way to prepare for a life worth living: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
There are a lot of crazy laws on the books. Here in Alabama, if you carry your ice cream cone in your back pocket, you're in violation. Next door in Mississippi, it's illegal to shoot squirrels from the State house - while Congress is in session. (I suppose they're afraid it would be too much like shooting deer over bait.) Out in California, if you detonate your nuclear device within one city's limits, it'll cost you $500. Up in Boston, you are forbidden to bathe without a prescription, and don't bring your peanuts to eat in church unless you want to spend a year in jail! I find a lot of humor - and not much sense - in many of the laws of men. Thankfully, the laws of men can be repealed (like these I mentioned), but there are laws that are unchanging, kept in place by an Almighty Hand. Gravity, motion, thermodynamics are all laws that demonstrate an incredibly wise and skilled Designer whose promises can be depended on, like those of Genesis 8:22, and I'd like to elaborate on a few of them.
Don’t be deceived. God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Galatians 6:7
Have you ever planted turnips and harvested tomatoes, or peas and got potatoes? One of the great things about the Master Designer is His consistency. You harvest what you plant, and that is true in the spiritual realm as well. Your deeds are seeds, and the Word says that the harvest will come in. So, if you're living by faith, hope, and love then you can reasonably expect a return of the same, and if you're doing the works of the flesh you ought not be surprised by the outcome. The harvest of sin is death - death of relationships, hopes, and dreams. Don't fool yourself. Sowing wild oats and praying for a crop failure is no way to prepare for a life worth living: For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Galations 6:8
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