The fall is known as harvest season, and it has always been my favorite time of the year. I have such fond memories of growing up in a tight-knit community and enjoying the town’s fall fairs and festivals with my family each year. There was good food everywhere your eye could see, and the atmosphere was sweet with smells of sweet potato and pecan pies, folksy music, and wonderful breezes to introduce the season’s change. I grew up on a large farm in this rural community, and I knew that if all had been successful, the fall of the year would be a time when my grandfather could take a break from working so many long hours in the field. Like most farmers who were blessed to plant a good crop, the time would come when it would mature, and a profitable harvest would be received and celebrated.
I believe many Christians are coming into the realization that nothing in life just happens. Like farmers, everything we do, from the time we wake up in the morning until the time we go to sleep at night, is an act of planting seeds in the ground. The Word of God teaches us that everything in life will reflect what we’ve planted in our lives. Galatians 6:7 (NLT) tells us, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” Only you can decide what kind of farmer you will be and what kind of harvest you will bring forth.
When it comes to the harvest of a good and fulfilling life, we don’t have any excuses for not producing one. God has empowered us to sow good seeds so that we can have a good life. This is exactly why our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, came to the earth and sacrificed his life for us. He teaches us in John 10:10-11 (NKJV), “10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Jesus Christ came to make a more than abundant life available to each of us. God tells us this in His Word, and we need to get on board with His plan so that we can continually plant or sow good seeds on good ground, and receive a bountiful harvest.
Instead of sowing into God’s Kingdom, some of us keep our seeds to ourselves, and we do this by living our lives with a tremendous amount of doubt. We doubt God’s willingness to bless us, and we doubt that He will work through us; and this is why many of us will not receive and celebrate the harvest we desire; because we will not give generously as God commands. Doubt is the poster child of spiritual immaturity. It is a red flag waving in the wind, letting us know that we need to allow the Spirit to do a greater work in us. You might not see yourself as preventing the Spirit from working in you, but doubt is a sure sign that this is what is happening.
Most of us would not ever dream of doing anything to offend or ignore our besties. We count on our girlfriends, and we expect them to be there for us when we need support the most. They are not offended when we count on them. They understand that this is what friends are for, and they consider it a privilege and a very natural thing to help us; knowing that we would do the same for them. The Holy Spirit that indwells us is a greater friend than any human being could ever hope to be. We should never deny or ignore him, for doing so offends him. We should lean on him with the full confidence that he will help us to produce and give from the harvest that God has called us to sow.
Ephesians 2:10 (NLT) tells us that we are God’s workmanship. We are His masterpiece, and He created us for good works. Heavenly Father predestined us according to His plan and purpose, and the bible tells us in Ephesians 1:5 that He did this even before the world was created. God has made it possible for us to walk in good works every day of our lives and we don’t ever have to doubt this.
Galatians 6:9 (NLT) tells us, “9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.” Don’t allow the enemy to continue to steal from you by your own refusal to give and share according to God’s standard. Be a mature Christian! Tithe! Share your time and gifts with others! Plant seeds of good works! God is not a man that He should lie. He is true and faithful, and His Word is truth. When He says something, it is 150 million percent accurate and we can take it to the bank. He created us to do good works; therefore, you and I can be wholeheartedly assured that when we perform the things that God created us to do, He will handsomely reward us. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Maturity Yields a Bountiful Harvest” written by Kim Times, edited by Fran Mack for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2016. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.