Today's Sunday Scripture is a the fourth post in the series...UNIVERSAL TRUTHS OF SOWING AND REAPING.
Here are the other posts in the series:
Have you ever asked God for a promise? Not like, "God, will you promise to give me this or that"? But just ask HIM, "God, will you give me a promise that I can hold on to"?
I have... several times in my life. And GOD has always given me a great promise that I needed to cling on to. A promise that only could have been filled by HIM. And GOD has always been faithful to keep HIS promise and manifest it huge in my life!
When we lived in our second house, TWIN OAKS, we had a brambly wild hill that was full of raspberries, honeysuckle and poison ivy. It was in the early days of living in that second house I became interested in and learned how to garden. It was all a grand experiment. Gardening involves a lifetime of learning!
Those were the days that I also became enthralled with wildflowers. The brambly hill was the perfect place to try my hand at growing wildflowers.I could just imagine how beautiful my brambly hill would look dripping with raspberries, heady with the smell of honeysuckles and splashed with the bright colors of wildflowers! So, early in the spring I broadcasted packets of wildflowers all over the base of the hill!
I waited for summer's heat to warm the ground to coax the wildflowers out of their little seeds! I waited... and waited... and waited expectantly for the wildflowers to appear!
But no wildflowers dotted my brambly hill!
Finally, a few... and I mean very few wildflowers brought a little sparse color to the hill.
I was so disappointed! I had such high hopes large swaths of wildflower color!
I remember thinking, I wish I could just dig up all those seeds... its was not worth the trouble! But of course, digging the seeds up was impossible... so wildflower planting became another unsuccessful experiment in gardening.
Soon I was on to other new ventures to try in the garden like a creating small pond and drying herbs and expanding the perennial garden.
By the following spring I had totally forgotten about the failed wildflowers on the brambly hill. The small pond was installed, I had dried herbs in the pantry and I was still working on the perennial garden expansion.
Summer brought a few dots of color on the hill... about the same as the year before. It was a mocking reminder of my failed attempt at wildflower gardening.
Then something surprising happened! The dots of color seemed to multiply and grow into masses of lovely colors and new flowers appeared! By mid summer my hill was resplendent with flowers. LOTS AND LOTS of beautiful flowers!
Wildflower planting was not a failure after all!
It seems that the annual wildflowers bloomed the first year... but it took a second year for the perennial flowers to take root and grow. And it was the perennial flowers that made the hill alive with color!
The wildflowers taught me a very important truth...
DON'T DIG UP YOUR SEED!
Sometimes things take longer to manifest than we think. They are on GOD'S appointed timeline... not ours! If we dig up the seeds we plant we might miss the harvest!
This is a wonderful spiritual truth too!
FOR WHATEVER A MAN SOWS THAT AND THAT ONLY IS WHAT HE WILL REAP.
AND LET US NOT LOSE HEART AND GROW WEARY AND FAINT IN ACTING NOBLY AND DOING RIGHT, FOR IN DUE TIME AND AT THE APPOINTED SEASON WE SHALL REAP, IF WE DO NOT LOOSEN AND RELAX OUR COURAGE AND FAINT.
Galatians 6:7,9
Here's what GOD is saying... what we sow into our lives in the way of thought and words and deeds is exactly the same kind of thing we will reap.
We must persevere in doing the right thing and not grow bored or tired. For just at the right time... GOD'S appointed time... we will attain a harvest... the fruit of our thoughts and words and deeds.
We must guard against getting lazy or bored or giving up. We must stand strong and keep doing the right thing!
NEVER DIG UP YOUR SPIRITUAL SEED!
I am living proof of the harvest GOD can plant in a person's life! I have seen a manifested harvest of miracles and blessings beyond what I could have ever dreamed!
But to get GOD'S harvest I had to persevere and keep on believing and doing the right thing.
There will be weeds, things that blow into our lives that make us tired or try to stop us from doing what GOD asks. There will be droughts and wet seasons too. We need to keep on trudging through them, keeping faith. It is not for the faint of heart, for sure!!!! But at the end, the harvest will be great!
I love to ask GOD to give me a promise from HIS word. HE always does! As I read and meditate and study the bible GOD will gently speak to me (I have never heard HIM audibly). His Spirit will speak to my spirit and give me a promise.
Every promise is also a seed! It has a harvest. God's promises have always been an exciting journey! I hold tightly on to GOD'S promises no matter how impossible they seems. I don't let people or circumstances distract me. I just keep believing and doing what is right no matter how impossible it seems. And most importantly I NEVER... NEVER give up on a promise from GOD... NO MATTER WHAT!
I excitedly wait and watch for how GOD fulfills HIS heavenly promise through earthly means. It is quite a faith builder!
Right now, I am reading my bible and asking God for a promise. A seed... that I can plant in my life and never dig up, no matter how long it takes. A seed that I can wait on... and act in accordance to... and eventually watch grow into a harvest in my life and the lives of others!
How about you? Do you ask GOD for promises?
If you do, remember...
DON'T DIG UP YOU SEED!
Stand strong until the harvest... no matter how long it takes!
Very nice. As I was reading, I thought also about the people we witness to. I knew of a man that would witness to people and if they didn't respond in the time he thought they should, he would just move on to someone else. We never know when a person is going to accept the free gift of God. Right when we give up might be when the person will finally give in. God,s time is not ours and all things happen in His time! Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThere are so many people who are impatient and cannot wait for God's timing. God sets things in motion at his own pace in order for certain prayers to be answered. I feel sorry for those who cannot as you say, "Stand strong until the harvest...no matter how long it takes." I wish everyone who is struggling with their issues or trying to help others could read this, Yvonne. I always try to share your message in the hopes it will inspire others. God Bless you!
ReplyDeleteYvonne, this is a wonderful lesson! I am in a season of harvest right now, after many years of waiting for God's timing. His ways are not our ways; and we never know exactly when or how the promises will be fulfilled; but, He has always been faithful to bring them to pass.
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful lessons you share, Yvonne. Thank you for your spiritual guidance. xo
ReplyDeleteThank you for this timely reminder Yvonne....dale
ReplyDeleteLouise
ReplyDeleteYvonne, this is another great Bible lesson . . . thank you so very, very much for sharing God's wonderful truths. I am pinning these on my Pinterest board as I know that they will be a blessing to others also.