All tagged harvest
This morning we are reading, and considering, the words that Jesus spoke regarding praying for more people to work in God's fields, and the great commission of taking the gospel abroad. I believe that the church would do well to take this seriously, but as individuals we should pray for these things as well; especially as we are called to them ourselves… Perhaps we will find that we are praying “Lord send me.”
Is God making us into something that will dramatically change the world in which we live? Then, as we are pulled across the people and places in our lives are they being transformed by us? Are we the tools that winnow them like wheat, separating what is good and useful about them from those parts that are not?
Are we bearing fruit for the Lord in His spiritual garden, and if we are, is it the healthy and robust fruit He expects of us? It is easy to begin our spiritual service to the Lord with an amazingly prolific harvest, but then, as the years pass by, to become complacent in our efforts. Some of us, by justifying our limited efforts, will produce just enough to get by while others will adorn themselves with beautiful greenery but yield no fruit at all. The first will be pruned back in an effort to increase the clusters of grapes they produce, while the barren green vines will be removed altogether. Where are we in our season? Do we produce in abundance? Do we give the Lord just enough to meet what we think He expects, or are we covering ourselves in fine rich greenery but adding nothing to the heavenly storehouses?
Do we work the soil of our faith, not just till it, but work into it fresh compost, leaves, and other nutrients? Do we dig out the rock that lies just beneath the surface, and make rich, deep, soil out of what once was shallow and of little use? If the seeds of faith are to mature, and thrive, they must have good soil to support their roots. So how deep was the soil beneath us when we first believed, and is it fertile enough to support the roots of our growing faith? Are we working as much on the soil beneath us as we are in the planting of the seeds we want to grow?
As Christians we are like wheat during the harvest. We are thrashed along with the chaff and the straw to separate us from them, then with the winnowing fork we are tossed into the air where the same strong wind blows through us all, and we are separated. We the grain, being heavier, falls to the floor to be gathered, while the chaff and straw are blown away, and are raked to be burned… yet none of the parts are spared the process, the thrashing, the winnowing, or the wind. As grains of wheat we must endure the same trials as the refuse which will eventually be burned. In this way we will be separated from it, placed in sacks for safe keeping, and stored away to be made into loaves for the Lord.