Planting, Growing & Harvest
I look out over my back yard, beyond the fence and there the organized straight lines of green in the field indicate the planting has been done. The growing season is now in full swing. Even to the side of my patio, the pots that hold my tomato plants tell me the same. Some time ago, the seeds were planted in rich soil that had been turned over and prepared to receive the seed. The hard dry earth was broken by the sharp disks that cut through, churning the soil to soften it. As the small green plants rise from the ground, reaching toward the sky, they wait for God to send the rain to quench their thirst, to nourish them so they can grow bigger and stronger.
Sometimes God sends the rain, but sometimes God elicits the help of a farmer to water with a mobile irrigation system. God sends a helper to spray the leaves of the plants to protect them from enemy insects that can destroy them. When the time is right, when the plants have reached their full time in the field, the season of harvest will begin. The reaper will come pulling up the plants and taking them to a new place and transforming them into a new thing – food for others. I love this time of year! It is a time when God, through his creation, shows his love and grace for us. Just like the farmer, God uses each of us to plant seeds of the gospel in the lives of people who’s hearts he has cultivated. He, in advance, has broken up the hardness in their hearts and softened it, preparing it to receive the good news. As the seed (the gospel) takes root and begins to grow, God sends his Helper to teach and nourish them in their growing season. His Helper guards them and protects them from the enemy that is out to destroy them. Sometimes God sends one of us to help “water” and guide the young heart in its growth. Just as it is with the plants in the field, when the time is right, the “reaper” will come, removing each of us and taking us to a new place. We will be transformed into a new body where we can serve in a new way for an eternity.
Which season are you currently in? Is God breaking up the hardness of your heart, preparing you to receive the seed? Has the seed of the gospel message already been planted? Is it growing? Ask God to send the rain, the nourishment needed for growth. Commit yourself to God’s Word with a noble and good heart so that you can produce a good crop (Luke 8:15).