A
daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and
exhortation.
Tuesday,
October
5,
2021
Soy bean harvest on Espenshade farm. We see this expansive farm scene when we turn on to Donegal Springs Road from Kraybill Church Road.
Click on photo to enlarge
"Sowing
and Reaping"
Listen to this message on your audio player.
"Do not be
deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.
Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will
reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from
the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary
in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a
harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to
those who belong to the family of believers" (Galatians
6:7-10).
Throughout our
rural area we have various seed times (sowing) and various
harvest times (reaping). Actually this is true all over the
world, but is especially observable when you live out in the
country. Local farmers in our neighborhood are currently
harvesting the soybeans. Last spring they sowed (planted)
the beans and they are now reaping the harvest.
The farmer
understands the fundamental law of sowing and reaping. In
this case there is a generally predictable period between
the sowing and reaping. It would be very anxiety-inducing
for a farmer if there was not a fairly predictable time for
the harvest! We've already had the corn silage harvest and later this fall we will have the grain corn
harvest.
Sowing and
reaping is a spiritual principle as well and can be used in
different applications. If one sows "to please their
flesh" with a wild, reckless life of disobedience to
God he or she will eventually reap the consequences
of that way of life. Destruction, some experiencing more
drama and devastation than others, will be reaped at a non
specified time. Sometimes the lag between sowing and reaping
is delayed, perhaps not even in this life in some cases. But
ultimately God cannot be mocked.
On the other
hand when one sows in obedience to God to "please the
Spirit" he or she has a promise of reaping the
ultimate harvest, eternal life. But again this is future and
due to the lag between sowing and reaping at times we may
wonder is it really worth it? We can become discouraged,
weary, perplexed. When we see the world around us in a mad
rush to destruction we wonder what the outcome will be.
Sometimes in the short term it
seems the other way around. We see the unrighteous prosper
and do well in life while a devoted Christian suffers and
just can't seem to catch a break. We especially consider
areas where there is great suffering on the short term such
as Afghanistan and Nigeria and many other places of
persecution, devastation, and internal strife.Thus Paul
continues with a word for all, but especially those in a
wait period, "Let us not
become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will
reap a harvest if we do not give up". The hard part
for us is we will reap a harvest "at the proper time"
("in due season" in some versions). That will be
in God's time, not ours!
Remember when
Job's wife had decided enough is enough regarding Job's
afflictions and their combined monumental losses. Her
counsel to Job: "Curse God and die" (2:9). In other
words be done with it!! Job's wife wanted him to wave the
white flag of surrender on the battlefield of affliction,
due to the infection not of his soul but hers. Be careful of
those you keep company with when undergoing affliction,
sorrow, and disappointment.
So let us be
purposeful in providing encouragement, giving wise counsel
and lending support to those who have been long in waiting
for the harvest. Look for opportunities to reach out to our
brothers and sisters in the faith as Paul writes, "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do
good to all people, especially to those who belong to the
family of believers".
Be encouraged today, (Hebrews 3:13)
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily
prayer: Father, we know from Scripture that if
we sow to the wind we reap the whirlwind, but if we
sow to please the Spirit we reap a harvest of
fruitful bounty; fruit that has eternal value such
as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. We see
this fruit displayed in the lives of those who did
not give up on the future harvest, those who did not
choose to curse You and die. Instead they have
stayed the course and declared not only with their
words but by their lives, You alone are my Rock
and my salvation; You are my Fortress, I will not
be shaken (Psalm 62:6). Amen.Additional
thought I want to develop in a future message:
I have also been considering the motivational
stimulus the prospect of a harvest brings when one
sows. The motivation to sow would be greatly
diminished if there wasn't a prospect of a harvest
and this is true in our own lives as well. We seek
to live our lives responsibly (sowing) with a
reasonable prospect that our responsibility will be
rewarded. When outside forces (I am thinking
government policies) diminish the fruits (harvest)
of one's labor and responsibility this tends to disincentivize the sowing. And we see a
lot of that going on.
Brooksyne's
Note: I want to dedicate today's prayer to
Andrea, a dear friend who continues to be a vital
part of the congregation in Taunton, MA where we
pastored from mid 1993-early 2001. At 18 months of
age Andrea was in an automobile accident and has
been a paraplegic ever since. She has suffered more
surgeries than I can count over the years and has
gone through many dangers, toils and snares, but
always with a cheerful spirit and an overcoming
attitude. As a little girl Ester always looked
forward to Andrea letting her climb on her lap so
that she could take her for a ride in her
wheelchair.
Once
again, Andrea is going through a health crisis. Many
people have been praying and we were so delighted to
read that she was moved out of ICU and her
ventilator was removed. She was able to come home
for the weekend (with supplies and medical
personnel) to give a little time before she
undergoes her next operation. Here is her most
recent update for those who would like to uphold her
in prayer:
"Thank
you all for your love and prayers. You all hold a
special place in my heart. I'm home only for a short
time as I need more healing before having more
surgery😔 This is only a bump in my "walk" God is
not done with me yet. Still got lots to do.
Today's
Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
"Sow
Mercy " Video Gaither Vocal Band
"Harvest"
Video
Freedom City Worship In searching for songs on
the harvest I came across this thoughtful song
from a church in Springfield MO, where we met
while in college in the seventies. I had never
heard of this church though so looked it up and
the pastor, John Alarid and his wife Hannah have
quite a testimony and are now reaching out in a
special way to the broken.
Powerful
story by John Alarid: Set free from heroin
addiction and prison Video
"Sowing
and Reaping" Video sermon Billy
Graham Classic
A
reader wrote concerning yesterday's message on
"My Rescue Story" and
our story about Susanna, who was baby-lifted
out of Saigon: Today's message (Oct 4)
touched a personal nerve. Over 60 years ago my
son and my daughter were "baby-lifted" out of
Korea. They brought joy to our hearts and today
they are living good lives as naturalized
Americans. Incidentally, the adoption process
was handled by the Pearl Buck Foundation in
Dublin, PA.
Interestingly,
before Stephen sent out our message yesterday we
prayed for "Women Connecting", a Women's
Ministry that our dear friend, Dottie Schmidt,
founded at Calvary Homes here in Lancaster.
Dottie had invited Julie Henning to speak to the
women yesterday morning. Julie was born in Korea
in 1953 and was adopted by Nobel Prize Winner
Pearl S. Buck. I am reading the story of her
life published within the past two years. Her
rescue story will pull at your heart strings.
Finally
today:
Our
neighbor Leon harvesting soybeans here on
Kraybill Church Road.
The
combination of taking the photo into the sun
and all the field dust account for this hazy
photo.
Send
a message to Stephen
& Brooksyne
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Weber".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 make it my life's goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity."
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