Small steps over time

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 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. (Galatians 6:7-9)

Successful people 'do' consistently what others 'do' occasionally. It may come as a surprise to some, but we have to intentionally prioritize whatever it is we want to realize in our lives. Intentions don't always determine our end results, do they? We can have great intentions but miserable results. Consistent actions are what determines 'success', not just great intentions. We start by doing the smallest of 'right' things, then we add to those some slightly bigger 'right' things until we one day see change happening. It is what happens OVER TIME that reveals success or failure.

Three laws of reaping: 1) You reap what you sow; 2) You reap more than you sow; and 3) You reap only after you sow. We might have gotten a little ahead of ourselves if we didn't take the smaller steps, expecting a huge harvest, but not seeing much growth at all. Sow to the flesh and you shouldn't be surprised to reap a greater harvest of flesh. Fleshly seeds will reap more and more sin in our lives - not as a punishment, but simply as a 'natural harvest' of what was planted. If we don't like what we have been harvesting, it is time to change the seeds we are sowing!

God multiplies what we sow. When we do the small 'right' things, we see a harvest beyond the size of the 'seed' we have sown. They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. If the seeds we have been sowing haven't produced a good harvest, it is time to change the seed and see what God will do with it! Remember this - our life is the sum total of the actions we take - good, bad, all of them. When we 'identify' with the wrong we have done, we might not see any other 'seed' as possible. When we allow God to change where our focus is and identify with the 'Christ-seed' that is within us, we might just begin to see a different harvest! Just sayin!

Harvest made possible by...

For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. (2 Corinthians 9:10)

As we have been exploring 'seeds' throughout the past several days, let us not forget what God says about the provider of the seed - it comes from him, all of it, no exceptions. The farmer sows the seed, but he didn't create what he sows. The provision God makes in our lives each and every day should never be taken lightly. He is the one who provides all the 'resources' we need - physical, spiritual, relational. We only need to receive what he provides, then put it into good use.

It is a hard thing to trust God sometimes, especially when we don't see the immediate 'provision' of whatever it is we need, isn't it? We get a little too focused on the need for the 'seed' and forget that much preparation must go into the soil before it is ever ready to receive the 'provision'. As soon as we receive the seed, we are to sow it into the prepared soil. We are to sow it not so much for our benefit, but for the benefit of others, allowing what God has provided so richly for us to become a blessing to others, as well.

Invest the seed God provides wisely and it is sure to return ten, twenty, or even a hundred-fold. Kindness might not seem like a popular seed being sown at times, but when we sow seeds of kindness into the lives of others, it impacts the world in a huge way. How? Because God promises over and over again to increase the harvest! A tiny seed of kindness can provide a huge harvest when God is overseeing the development of that seed and the harvest that is about to come. Be generous in your acts of kindness and see what God can do when we are faithful to sow the seeds he gives.

No matter how small the seed, the harvest can be plentiful when God is the one who is doing the multiplication! Just sayin!

A life more fruitful

Mark Twain said that the human race had one really 'effective' weapon - laughter. I think our most effective weapon is not really laughter as much as it is the Word of God. Laughter might give us a momentary release - the Word of God and what it can accomplish within us is lasting and sure. Have you ever been reading through scripture only to find something within the passage 'calls out' some behavior you have been struggling with, or reveals some answer to a worry you have been mulling over? The purpose of the Word of God is to teach us - to make us wise. We are able to discern direction once hidden from us because of the work of the Spirit of God within us and the revelation of the Word of God to us. If we want more than an 'immediate release', we need to take in what can give us a permanent and secure hope.

If you rebuke a mocker, you will only get a smart retort; yes, he will snarl at you. So don’t bother with him; he will only hate you for trying to help him. But a wise man, when rebuked, will love you all the more. Teach a wise man, and he will be the wiser; teach a good man, and he will learn more. For the reverence and fear of God are basic to all wisdom. Knowing God results in every other kind of understanding. “I, Wisdom, will make the hours of your day more profitable and the years of your life more fruitful.” Wisdom is its own reward, and if you scorn her, you hurt only yourself. (Proverbs 9:8-12)

Who among us doesn't want a more fruitful life? If we embrace God's wisdom - the holy scriptures - we are bound to see fruit. Why? The seed of truth isn't just casually cast into our lives - it is purposefully placed. Teach a wise man and he will be wiser - because the seed is taken in, then it is turned over in the fertile soil of his heart and nurtured there by the Spirit of God until it takes root. When good seed takes root, fruit is bound to come forth. Knowing God results in every kind of understanding - even though we are unlearned in so many ways, God's Spirit can give us wisdom far beyond our years or education. 

Wisdom adds years to our lives - years that become more settled and certain as we allow God to impart his wisdom within. We could go through life on our own, but the wise man or woman will embrace all the help to sort out life's woes and worries as much as possible. Why? They have learned trusting in one's own ability to consistently produce the best outcomes (fruit) is pretty close to impossible. Good men exist, but any goodness that is 'self-made' is still flawed goodness. There is but one 'goodness' that is perfect - Christ's. There is but one source of true goodness of heart, mind, and spirit - to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ with all we have within us. 

Seeds will be planted today. They can be seeds of goodness and grace, springing forth in season in an even bigger harvest of that which reveals the goodness and grace of God within. They can be seeds of self-seeking, pride, or mistrust - all producing a harvest, but not always a good one that is 'unmixed' with the tares of this world. God's Word isn't to be trifled with - it is the source of much life and goodness. Take it in - trust it to accomplish its work. That work may be correction - reminding us of choices that have not been all that wise. It may be confirmation - allowing us to feel at peace with decisions we are about to make. How is that? The Word of God is purposeful - it is focused on the harvest that is about to be produced by being introduced to the soil of our hearts and minds. A ready heart and an open mind go a long way in providing soil that is fertile for fruitful growth. Just sayin!

Short-changed in life?

Have you ever had a bumper crop? One of those "I cannot find enough pots to store it all" kind of harvests? Probably about the last thing you want to hear at that moment is that there is more to come! You are having a hard enough time just finding ways to use all you have already been blessed to receive and now there is more to come? That's how it is with God's generosity, love, and grace - it just keeps on coming until it overflows from our lives into the lives of others!

There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit! (Romans 5:3-4 MSG)

Troubles might slow us down a bit, but they aren't going to do us in. They might just challenge our fortitude and increase our faith. They might cause us to see our present capacity as an opportunity for our God to create 'space' within us for even more than contained there previously. Troubles aren't just bumps in the road to be endured - they are opportunities for us to develop greater trust, firmer convictions, and more attentive focus. 

What is God about to do next in your life? I know my 'next' may not even be close to your 'next', but together we can endure that space between now and next! The moment we partner together in this ever expanding walk, the more we can help each other stay alert for what comes next. You know, I don't always see things the way you do and vice versa. I don't always have the right perspective, even when I think I do! The same might be said about you - so we need each other as we face these challenges.

Short-changed in life? If so, maybe it isn't so much God's doing as it is ours. We might have just lost our focus a little and now we are facing troubles that seem insurmountable to us. Dare I say it - those troubles might be our 'undoing' designed specifically to get us 'doing' again what we were supposed to be doing in the first place! Every time I am feeling a little 'short-changed' in life, complaining about something in my present circumstances, I sit back for a moment and remember God is never going to be the one 'short-changing' me. If I am short-changed, it is likely my own mismanagement of what he has provided in my life. I just lost focus.

If you are feeling a little 'short-changed' right now, perhaps it is a good time to just stop and unplug a little. The moment we unplug from all the distractions that seem to only escalate those feelings that lead to those 'woe is me' moments, we begin to see that God is still in the business of bumper crops! He is still providing generously - we just need to empty out the container a little so we can have a place for what he has been providing all along. Just sayin!

Peanut Lessons

Have you ever considered how peanuts grow?  We get these nicely washed, lightly roasted, sometimes salted peanuts in a bag from our grocer, but I wonder if we realize just how and where these little treasures grow.  Most of us think of fruit as something produced above the surface of the dirt, but peanuts are actually produced "underground".  They turn from flowering plants into underground seed pods without us even noticing the growth going on beneath the surface.  I think this may be similar to the growth we often experience in our own lives.  Stuff springs up on the surface - but the completion of the growth is really accomplished "underground" in our lives. Another thing to consider is the place of fruit is sometimes the darkest place!

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! But 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. (Galations 6:7--8 MSG)

Okay, so here's how a peanut grows.  First, the seed pod is planted.  If peanuts are not boiled or roasted, they actually produce a rather green plant within about 30 days of planting.  The peanut is planted in its entirety - pod and all.  So, as the pod breaks down, the seed sends out a taproot.  This taproot in turn sends out other roots which seek certain nutrients from the soil in which they are planted - the main nutrient they seek is nitrogen.  These roots don't look all long and spindly like some do, but are nodular and gnarly. To the untrained eye, you might think these are the start of the fruit, but it is not.  It is just the way the roots growth is produced - it is this "rough" texture of the root which makes it so effective for taking in the nutrients it needs. Roots anchor, but their most important function is in the "feeding" process. Since these roots are "nodular", they have a little more "surface" than other spindly roots.  Maybe this is because the growth which will eventually occur more "underground" really requires the roots to give the pods a place to grow and "implant".

Once the seed breaks the surface with a sign of green growth, the shoot which emerges is kind of a long, stem with leaves, almost floppy in appearance. The long stems soon begin to produce a flower from the base of the leaves.  One thing is important at this stage of growth - pollination.  Many peanut farmers also have relationships with bee keepers - or are bee keepers themselves. The bees assist with the pollination of the flowers.  An flower remaining untouched by the bees or other insects will likely not develop any seed pod. For growth to continue, pollination in necessary.  Some pollination occurs just because of the wind which blows across the pollen producing flower, but others is more purposeful as when the bee moves from one flower to the next, carrying the pollen along with it.  Either method is effective - one puts a little strain on the flower, the other just leaves the flower knowing it has been touched.  Some of God's work in our lives is like the wind - we strain a little at his passing.  Other times, his work is quite gentle, almost "tickling" our senses.  Both are effective!

After pollination occurs, the plant does something unexpected.  The upward growth actually begins to turn back toward the surface of the ground.  The plant drives this pollinated "seed pod" into the ground!  Over these 10 days of growth, the flowering pod will be driven into the soil about a couple inches deep.  There, the pod takes growth.  Two things are necessary for its development - the right temperature for the soil and the right amount of moisture.  Too cold, and the seed pod will not develop.  The importance of planting the seed at the right time to allow the 30 day "above ground" and the 10 day "below ground" growth preparation to occur cannot be overlooked in this discussion.  It takes 40 days to get the flower "peg" into the soil and oriented horizontally.  These 40 days result in the plant being able to produce the growth at the optimal time!  What takes place above the surface, and in the first few days below the surface determine the growth which will ultimately culminate "under the surface".  We often balk at God taking much time to "prepare" us for things we want to see brought to fruition in our lives, but remember this - the peanut only grows when the timing is right!

Somewhere between another 80 to 150 days, the peanuts come to full maturity.  The peanut farmer cannot be assured of his harvest beginning on the 120th day after planting or the 190th day!  That is quite a span of time for the farmer, isn't it?  I think this speaks to us not rushing what God may be doing just beneath the surface in our lives.  The timing will vary, but the harvest cannot be rushed.  Somewhere in the correct span of time, the "crop" will be just right.  Do you know how the farmer knows when to harvest?  He watches the growth above the surface!  When he sees it beginning to yellow and dry up, he knows the pods are ready for harvest.  Why do the plants yellow?  They are no longer needed - the growth is complete!  Sometimes we have a lot of "surface growth" in our lives which we have come to count on as the promise of growth within.  When the growth is ready, the importance of the surface growth doesn't matter so much anymore - it just indicates the "readiness" of the internal growth to be harvested!

So, here is our lesson from the peanut.  Don't discount the growth which is being accomplished below the surface!  Don't rush the growth!  Don't look for fruit where it will never come!  Don't count that all growth produces immediately evident fruit!  Don't forget the need for pollination!  Most importantly - look for the signs of harvest - what is on the surface may only be an indication of what is about to be revealed just below the surface!  Just sayin!

Full silos don't equal a good harvest

Harvest:  A supply of anything gathered at maturity and stored; the result or consequences of any act, process, or event.

I wonder if we have given much thought to the various "harvests" we have in our lives.  In most cases, we are not farmers - so this idea of "harvesting" is not fully understood.  The great work of producing the end result of a tremendous "intake" of grain is almost missed by us because we simply go to the local grocer and purchase the bagged flour, loaf of bread, or cake mix right off the shelf.  If there was a greater appreciation for the "work" which makes the harvest possible, I wonder if we'd have any greater appreciation for the "filled shelves" at the grocer?  Our definition above is really interesting, simply because it doesn't start with the definition of a farmer's work, but of the general work of seeing something to the point of maturity - then storing up the thing which has been brought to this point.  It also focuses on the idea of a process producing a certain outcome - the benefits of which provide for the basis of what will be "stored up" for the future.  Truly, these are the two most foremost definitions of the word "harvest". 

When you harvest your grain and forget a sheaf back in the field, don’t go back and get it; leave it for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow so that God, your God, will bless you in all your work. When you shake the olives off your trees, don’t go back over the branches and strip them bare—what’s left is for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. And when you cut the grapes in your vineyard, don’t take every last grape—leave a few for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow. (Deuteronomy 24:19-21 MSG)

In looking at our definition again, we see there is an inability to "store up" if there first has not been a "supply of".  So, the beginning point of the harvest is in the supplying of what will produce the harvest.  In the simplest terms - no seed, no harvest.  Think on that one a little - let it roll around in your brain.  No seed - no harvest.  The type of seed always determines the harvest, right?  So, in the most literal sense, we could turn this to the things we DON'T sow as providing the results we will reap.  No unkind words - no strife in a relationship.  No impulsive choices - no regrets or shame.  

What "supply" we tap into most is what we will see as the resulting harvest we will "store up" for days to come.  If the "supply chain" is directly from the hands of God, the stored product will be that which produces further fruitfulness in our lives.  If the "supply chain" is something other than God's best, the harvest may not be as beneficial for our storehouses!  The connection I want us to see this morning is in the supply of what will be planted and the harvest which will be available for storage during "leaner" times in our lives.  

There is also another portion of this definition which beckons for our consideration this morning.  The idea of something coming to a place of maturity before it is harvested almost escapes us today as many farmers "reap" the crops long before they ripen - so they have a longer "shelf life".  Here's the rub - they just don't taste the same!  When ripening occurs exactly where the seed was planted, the "taste" produced is richer or flavorful.  Why?  The product was meant to "mature" where it was planted!  It was not meant to "mature" in a fruit bowl on your kitchen table, or in the brown bag on your shelf!  It might allow the fruit to ripen, but it still doesn't taste the same as a vine ripened tomato, or the tree ripened avocado.  The outward appearance may be the same, but it is in the experience of the "taste" where we really note the differences.

You can "force" ripening - but the result is a pitiful excuse for the intended taste!  The same is true in our spiritual lives.  We can remove ourselves from the place where we have been planted way too soon.  Sure, we see evidence of fruit - something worth harvesting.  Yet, if we are removed too soon from the place where we are planted - the harvest will only yield tasteless seed!  The richness and robustness of the produced fruit is really only evidenced when the fruit is allowed to ripen right where it was planted.  If you haven't noticed, the seed wasn't planted in the dark!  It was planted in the light, watered regularly, and the soil around it was worked regularly to keep it weed free.  So, before the harvest comes a whole lot of purposeful planning and consistent work.  In the season of harvest, we are tempted to "store up" when we see the beginning evidence of fruit - but waiting just a little longer often brings just the right amount of added "son-shine" we need to experience the richest of harvests.

In our passage above, the idea of harvest also carries the intentional leaving of something behind.  Now, for those who work the land, this may seem like a senseless waste - leaving some of the harvest behind.  But...in what is left, there is even greater provision!  You see, there are those who cannot produce the fruit without a seed - the seed you provide by the intentional leaving of something of the harvest available for the taking.  I don't know about you, but some of the best "seeds" in my life have been left by those who have allowed the seed they were "supplied" to come to maturity in their lives - allowing me to glean a little of their harvest so those "seeds" supplied by their harvest to become the basis of growth for the similar harvest in my life.

I don't know the harvest you will bear today - or even if the harvest will be today.  The season of harvest may be in seed-form in your lives right now.  It could be just about to begin the "reaping" phase.  Regardless of where you are in the process - you needed the first "seed" to be supplied.  You and I are called upon to intentionally provide for those who have no way of producing the harvest in their own lives without the seed you have already seen come to the place of maturity in yours.  We become instruments of God's "supply chain" in the process.  If you are anxious to call it a "harvest" and be done with the entire maturing process, remember this - the harvest is best when the maturing is allowed to occur right where the seed was planted.  Don't rush God's handiwork.  You might get fruit, but the richness of it may not be as enjoyable as it would have been if you'd have stayed a little longer where you were planted.  Just sayin!

Modifying or Modified?

Most would think of a "circumstance" as something which modifies or influences what will happen - what the outcome will be.  When we have the right one in charge of the "circumstances", there is no "modifier" beyond our ability to deal!

Lord, change our circumstances for the better, like dry streams in the desert waste!  Let those who plant with tears reap the harvest with joyful shouts.
Let those who go out, crying and carrying their seed, come home with joyful shouts, carrying bales of grain!   (Psalm 126:4-6 CEB)

Do you know what a drought is?  It the simplest sense, it is a period of "dryness".  Most "dry spells" are not a matter of our doing.  They are "circumstances" beyond our control.  In the times of "dryness" there is much at work attempting to modify our responses - perhaps even shaping our outcome, as a result.  In the time of dryness we have a couple of options: 1) Scheme our way through it, figuring and refiguring a way to bring life back ourselves; 2) Bolt, looking for refreshment in any other place than where we are at; or 3) Honker down, trusting God for the refreshing rains just around the corner.  I don't know about you, but I don't want to the circumstances to modify my life by driving me away from what God will do "in" them!  I want God to drive me "into" the circumstances deep enough to allow HIM to modify me, not the circumstances!

It is indeed God who changes our circumstances for the better.  One thing I have come to recognize - God often changes US before he changes our circumstances.  So, in respect to the "modifying" effect of circumstances - it is really not the circumstances which "modify" us, but finding God in the midst of them which does!  

David points out a couple of character traits of one who is not modified by the circumstances, but is met in the midst of the circumstances by the "modifier" of our hearts.  First, they are not just honkered down, hoping for the best.  They are planting, carrying seed, going about their regular tasks.  They don't cease to do what they know to do!  Too many times, we face circumstances which seem beyond our control with the attitude of just standing still - not even doing what we know to do.  God's advice to us - do what you can, then let him take care of the rest.  If I am capable of putting my hand to the plow, I need to plow.  If I have seed, I need to sow it.  The principle is quite plain here - do what we know to do, then trust God!

Next, he points out being honest with our emotions.  Most don't plant with tears, but it may be these very tears which are the first "moisture" to touch those tiny seeds.  Did you ever stop to consider the tears you shed as being the very thing which waters the very seed you are planting?  It may not be a significant amount of moisture, but perhaps it is enough to begin to breakdown the tough outer coating of the seed and cause it to begin to germinate!  I don't think God ever expects us to mask our emotions - if we are honest with him in our emotions, he can deal with them!  

Last, but not least, those who go out will return.  Their return is not empty-handed, but with much more than they ever imagined.  This is the principle of sowing and reaping.  In due season, there is a harvest.  When we trust God with our "circumstances", we also trust him with the "outcome" (and the "INcome").  It was not the circumstances which modified us - it was the great "MODIFIER" of the circumstances which modified us.  The harvest may not have been possible without us first going out - doing what we knew to do.  The seed spread in drought is there when the rains come.  Think about it - if the seed is never planted, no amount of rain will produce a crop!  

Instead of allowing the circumstances to modify us, allow the modifying to come from the one who hold the circumstances squarely in his hand!  Just sayin!

Bountiful Harvest

Try as I might, my gardening expeditions have produced very little fruit.  I spent about three years in a row working the soil, creating flowerbeds, and then planting the vegetables of the season.  My hopes - one of those above the ground beds of lush vegetable gardens.  My actual production - dead vines, undeveloped melons, and a tremendous harvest for the birds!  Did I harvest what I planted?  Most would say, "No", but when you explore the work performed AFTER the planting was done, you'd change your answer!!  

^7-8Don'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! But 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.

(Galations 6:7-8 The Message)

The fact remains, what is planted must be cultivated for it to grow to maturity!  We cannot simply prepare the soil, add some seedlings, then think watering will be enough to produce the harvest we hoped for.  The most successful gardeners actually spend time in their gardens!  I wanted to fruit of my efforts without the expenditure of much effort!  

For those of you who are avid gardeners, possessing the coveted "green thumb", you are probably shaking your heads about now.  In considering my silly attempt at "producing" a bountiful harvest, you probably feel like asking me what I was thinking!  The truth is, I wasn't doing much thinking at all!

I expected something because I put "some" effort into it.  I really did not apply myself whole-heartedly to the task of "maintaining" what had been begun.  This is often the case with lessons God is teaching me - I get it, commit to it, then somewhere down the line, I seem to fizzle out.  It is not God's doing which brings me to the place of looking at a lack of "fruit" from what he planted - it is mine!  

You may be surprised to find God has not moved the garden in your life!  He still watches over it - hoping for fruit.  What he is waiting for is our slowing down, taking the time for his Spirit to "turn-over" the soil of our garden, tending the tender leaves of new growth, until fruit is coaxed forth.  In order to bring forth the good fruit, he sometimes has to remove a few weeds which over-shadow the fruit he is producing.  

He is much more committed to this gardening process than we often are.  The fact is - we cannot deny the laws of sowing and reaping.  When we allow the birds to steal away the best of the harvest before it develops fully, or resist the pressure of pushing past the hardened soil of our hearts with the new growth he is producing, we will see much less of a harvest within our lives. When we yield to his "tilling" and "tending", the harvest is much richer - indeed, we'd call it "bountiful".  

Bounty is the opposite of stunted.  Bounty bespeaks the generous care of a loving gardener.  Stunted growth bespeaks the slow, almost stopped growth.  Both conditions of the "garden" of our hearts have signs of growth - but only one yields a harvest of highest worth.