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Friday, July 1, 2011


Combines at wheat harvest, Lancaster County PA 6/25/10
Wheat Harvest in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania


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"Harvest-Time!"
 
"The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor" (1 Corinthians 3:8). "When the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest" (1 Corinthians 9:10).
 
Wheat ready for harvest (click to enlarge)We often associate harvest with autumn or at least late summer.  But living in a rural region we observe that a harvest is taking place all through the summer and fall, especially if you include hay harvest which can begin in the Spring and continues till Fall. Certain crops have a very predictable harvest time and it's presently wheat in our area. There's a very short window for wheat harvest and when the crop is ready you don't delay. Harvest time is a very busy but joyful time for farmers. They are literally reaping the fruit of their labors.
 
Harvest is a word used all through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. In the Old Testament it is generally used in a literal sense. In the New Testament it is used mostly in a figurative sense such as when Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Bread of lifeToday the harvest remains plentiful and in many ways the workers are still few. We need to be among those who hear His call and go out to the harvest fields.  It's a real blessing to have a role in the spiritual harvest! Whether it's an impact upon an individual or a group it's just great to see people respond to God's love. I know there are so many who I am working with in the harvest; some whom I am aware of, but many, many others whom I am not.
 
One of the vital truths I have learned in ministry is the principle of the cooperative harvest. Jesus commissioned His church to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.  His great command was not spoken to them as individuals but to the entire group.  Although we certainly express this obedience individually we must remember that the fulfillment of the Great Commission requires a cooperative effort.
 
Consider the statement in the daily text. "The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose." Planting, watering, reaping; all are part of the process with the goal being a bountiful harvest, agriculturally and spiritually.  That is our "one purpose." Any life impacted for Christ and eternity is done so by the cooperative harvest. The plowman and the thresher both have equal hope of sharing in the harvest.
 
One may have the joyful privilege of leading an individual in a prayer of repentance and faith in Christ, but many others have had a part both seen and unseen.  A dedicated Sunday School teacher, a praying aunt, a careful translator, a generous contributor to the literature ministry, a Christian songwriter, even that one who might have been mocked and rejected several months earlier when he tried to witness. And after the prayer of commitment is made consider those who have a part in the discipling and spiritual formation as we grow together spiritually in preparation for the final harvest.
 
What's your part in the harvest today?  Let us each be found faithful!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Praying manDaily prayer: Father, we thank You that we're part of Your overall plan to harvest souls into the kingdom of heaven.  Open our eyes as we look at the field of souls ripe for harvest. Show us ways in which we can enlarge our circle of influence.  What a joy it is to see believers grow in their faith as we diligently plant seeds of salvation and water them with truths from Your Holy Word and by our Christian testimony.  Amen.

Finally, I want to share a promise that I considered using as my text today which I have committed to memory and has often blessed me as I drive through the country whether in planting time or harvest: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).




Harvest Scenes In Our Area

View of wheat harvest from interior of combine
A view of wheat being harvested from the cab of a combine.
Several years ago I rode
with my friend Darrel in the combine during wheat harvest.  Darrel, along with his dad, Galen, farm here in Lancaster County.  Click here for a larger photo with Scripture verse.

Combine at wheat harvest
Darrel had company later in the day as his girlfriend Kelly (now wife) joined him for the ride.  How's that for a date!

Wheat harvest view from my porch
This photo was taken several years ago across the street from our house as the truck is being loaded. (This year the same field has been planted in corn.) Farmers try to rotate their crops.

Wheat harvest, Lancaster County PA
After the harvest the wheat stalks are raked into rows ready to be baled as straw.

Wheat harvest, Lancaster County PA
This photo was taken behind my house and shows the contrast between the wheat stubble and the green corn with my neighbor's barn in the distance.

Whole wheat bread slice
Whole wheat bread!
(Note: We didn't eat the topping)

On a related note: This is a video we made several years ago of our dog Roxie jumping in the wheat field. At that time she was just learning the meaning of the word, "Jump".  Roxie is getting older and I don't think she'd do this anymore. We still can't let our pup Mollie run freely lest she runs off, thinking it's a fun game of "Come and Get Me"!



This video is a powerful demonstration of the power of the cooperative harvest.

The HarvestThe Harvest  By Randolf Productions Inc
An award-winning film praised by Josh McDowell: "You walk away feeling, 'I can make a difference!'" Witness the struggle of a North Dakota family suffering the loss of their father, and the blessing of their community rallying to help them harvest their farm without him. The season to gather in the crops has arrived, but in the midst of crisis, only a young boy's prayer can save The Harvest. Based on a true story, this powerful modern-day parable will inspire you to commit your energy and talents to reach the world for Christ---one person at a time.



Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources

"I Am"  Video  A well produced video from a large church. This song sure blesses us!

"Field Of Souls"  Video  I enjoy listening to the Brooklyn Tabernacle version of this song as I travel through agricultural areas during planting or harvest

"Bringing In The Sheaves"  Video  Bringing In The Sheaves written in 1874 by Knowles Shaw, who was inspired by Psalm 126:6, "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." This is an old song I recall from childhood that I don't hear sung in churches today.  I don't think it's probably in too many hymnals these days let alone projected on PowerPoint! A great joy is traveling with our Amish friends Jesse and Anna Ruth and hearing their children sing out on this song over and over!  This hymn calls to mind an older farming method, still used by the Plain folks in our area where the wheat was cut and stacked into sheaves to dry before bringing them in to remove the grain.

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. and the King James Version.

Personal Mission Statement: "I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God's Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."

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