Don’t expect a harvest…

…if you haven’t planted the seed.

I’m unsure what happened, exactly.

But it was definitely the Lord, that the error was caught.

I’d planted seeds in the garden, but completely missed an entire package.

Much later, I found it where my seeds waited in a drawer all winter.

The crazy thing about it all, is my expectations.

I’ve been looking forward to those in soups and salads, but I’m not going to have a single one if the seeds never go in the ground.

Which struck me.

How often do I expect spiritual fruit, but fail to plant the seeds?

My daily choices today will bring forth a harvest in the future.

Galatians 6:7 NLT — Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

If I want to reap the fruit of the Spirit in my life, I need to be humble, teachable, obedient to God’s Word, not walking in the ways of the flesh.

Ephesians 4:22-23 RSV — Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

Ephesians 4:30 RSV — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

If I want God’s peace in my life, I have to surrender myself fully to the Lord and trust in His Sovereignty.

Philippians 4:6-7NLT — Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

I shouldn’t expect to reap a harvest of righteousness if I’ve not summited to God and chosen to walk in His ways.

So, I’m grabbing my garden gloves, putting on my rubber boots and taking that unplanted package to the garden to plant, but first…

I’m spending some time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer, making sure I’ve begun this day with the proper seed: faith, humility, love, truth, honesty, selfcontrol, patience, peace, the heart of a servant…

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your love and this lesson in life through my oversight. Lord, please help me to realize each day is an opportunity to plant into tomorrow. Lord, please continue to teach me to be self-disciplined, honorable, gentle, soft spoken, truthful, loving, kind, faithful, wise, discerning, and Your child. Lord, I want to be like You in every way. Thank You for teaching me this morning. Thank You for speaking so clearly through something so simple. How I love You, Jesus! What a blessing it is to walk in Your ways, reading Your Word, and being guided by Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for salvation. Thank You for Your patience with me, such a slow learner. May Your name be glorified throughout the whole earth! Amen.

Things in the world

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. I John 2:15‭-‬17 NKJV https://bible.com/bible/114/1jn.2.15-17.NKJV

The things of this world bring a snare.

Lust and pride are dangerous and can kill faith.

Matthew 13:22 NKJV — “Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.”

Thus, we must be on our guard, at all times.

Because pride is easy.

And desire breeds the idea we deserve…

Our flesh, stirred up by the enemy, wants to follow after these things.

Jesus taught that all the things and the pursuit of them isn’t following God.

Instead, He clearly explained that loving God is the opposite.

Matthew 6:24 NKJV — “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Matthew 6:33 NKJV — “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Jesus’s parable of the seed and the soils (Matthew 13:3-23) provides a perfect word picture.

The Gospel is the seed and the ground is our hearts.

Matthew 13:23 NKJV — “But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

What type of soil we are has a great deal to do with what we choose to do with the Word.

No one is immune to the temptations of the things of this world, but we can focus on Jesus and His Word.

Romans 12:2 KJV — And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Let’s be wise and prudent gardeners, pulling up the weeds and allowing the Lord Jesus to water the seed with His scripture and prayer.

Colossians 3:1-2 KJV — If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

We can live in today, praising God for His gifts and blessings, being thankful for what we have and the beauty of creation all around us.

We can walk with Him in humility and love, remembering this is not our home, we are simply travelers, on our way to Paradise.

Dear Lord Jesus,

Thank You so much for Your Word. Lord, please help me to be on guard against pride and lust and the love of things. Lord, help me to instead love people and to walk with integrity before You. Lord, help me to see the snares and tricks of the enemy and to be wise about what I look at, what I listen to, what I meditate on. Lord, this world is passing and my life is fleeting compared to eternity. Please help me to live for You today and not to be choked out by the cares of this world. Thank You, Jesus. Amen.

Beauty and expectation

Apple blossoms.

They hold both attraction to the eye as well as a function.

Those blossoms, hopefully, will turn into juice apples come Fall.

I love how creative God is.

He didn’t just make the apple tree produce fruit after it’s own kind, He choose to use beautiful white and pink flowers to do it.

Just adjacent to the apple trees is a flower bed.

Right now it is a lovely fresh turned brown.

Showing the effort of our children who carefully dug out all the weeds.

It’s with expectancy that we water the soil.

It’s all been seeded and hopefully will bring beautiful flowers.

Both the tree and the bed require patience.

We wait expectantly for God to bring the fruit from our labors.

The same is true in life.

Although the every day tasks of raising our children do not seem like planting seeds, it really is.

Those times when one or both of us have to stop and direct a heart or help a mind see the truth.

When we take time to listen to their hearts, to learn their joys and sorrows, we are feeding their relationship with us as well as with Jesus.

There are many other ways we plant seeds into our lives.

Simply choosing to live daily for Christ is planting seeds.

Of course the opposite is true.

We can plant horrible things by choosing to live for ourselves or by spreading discord, strife, and complaining.

Galatians 6:7 NKJV — Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Therefore it is imperative to be purposeful with our actions and attitudes.

What kind of things do we want in our future?

What kind of seed are we spreading today?