Harvest

Harvest Planning

/ pastorpete51 / 1 Comment

Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering his seed, some fell along the path and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop – a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. Matthew 13:3-8

IMG_5328In seed catalogues every variety comes with a photo. But the photos are not of the seeds; they are of, red ripe tomatoes or deep green broccoli. No one wants to see shriveled up corn or dried beans. Continue reading →

What would Jesus think?

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Some years ago it became popular to have the letters WWJD on a bracelet. That acronym asked “What would Jesus do?”

The answer often seems clear i.e. would Jesus rob the convenient mart? Would Jesus buy cocaine? Would Jesus swindle the car insurance company? What is not always obvious are questions like, “Would Jesus marry Jody? What does He think about a 5 year car loan vs a lease? Can my teenage daughter go on dates? That is when we need to ask, “What would Jesus Think? What is His opinion of my friends, my career choice or my activities at church?

James gives us some great guidelines to help us pick out of the crowd of ideas, the guidance that comes from God.

I always remember the saying of Pastor Rick Warren, “God loves you and everybody else has a wonderful plan for your life!” Just like the Nike swoosh tells us which clothing is theirs so God’s plan has some trademarks.

First comes purity. There can be no hidden selfish motive in the direction God leads. Using friendship for profit or manipulating our family for personal advancement cannot be an acceptable way of thinking before Jesus.

Next our choices that line up with His will carry with them a sense of His peace. No matter what people say no what happens we find a supernatural trust rises in our hearts in the face of conflict.

Last of all is the quiet loving gentle strength we receive as we stay with God’s way of thinking. His thoughts in our hearts are like good seed. The longer they stay and the deeper they are planted the bigger the fruit and greater the harvest will be!

Frost Warning

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Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Luke 10:2 NKJV

With a frost warning coming tonight I rushed out to pull in the last of the peppers. Some were large and ready for harvest. A few others were okay though yet mature. But saddest of all were the blossoms left on the plants when I pulled them and shook the soil from their roots. The frost was here and their beauty and promise were never to be fulfilled.

God tells me stories in the garden. Some stories give me comfort, some direction but frost is like a heavenly alarm clock. The raw jangling of the cold, the grey of clouds and the whistle of North winds shake my world up. There is a frost warning coming for each of us. The time for promises unkept is past. My worn out excuses for immaturity sound hollow in my ears. God’s plan, His will and Kingdom are all that really matter. Don’t just send laborers out into your harvest Lord. Send me!