Proverbs 20:4
If you are too lazy to plow, don't expect a harvest.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
The other day I caught part of a commercial for yet another fat-burning solution that comes in a little capsule. No exercise is necessary… no dietary changes are needed. All we have to do is take these little capsules, and they will miraculously attach to our belly fat and burn it into oblivion for us! Yippee!!! As my “personal trainer” Jillian Michaels says, this is a message of lethargy and laziness… and it won’t work. She also says that so many people truly do not show up their own lives. In other words, they don’t take responsibility for their actions… or the outcomes. And she is right! We want the harvest, but we don’t want to plow!
We see this in every arena of life. Some students never study and barely get by then wonder why their GPA is so poor and they can’t get into good graduate schools - or potential employers are less than impressed. People apply for job after job and wonder why nobody will hire them... yet they fail to realize they present a lazy, “I-could-care-less” attitude and a sloppy appearance. We all know someone who has been on one diet after another, joined every gym in town and has a cabinet full of workout videos – right next to the treadmill/clothes rack. Every Monday is going to be the first day of a diet… until Monday actually arrives.
We also see this in the lives of many Christians. We make excuses with comments like, “I have nothing to offer. I’m not smart/capable/talented/outgoing… and more. I don’t have time. I don’t want to be a pest.” Sometimes, these are code for “I’m too lazy to get involved.” We often hear God nudging us into service and witness, but we either tune Him out or turn away. Some of us are so out of step with God that we really, truly don’t recognize His voice when He speaks and gives us an assignment!
The time has come for us to show up… to be truly present in our own lives… and as Christians and Disciples of Christ. We need to get up and get going… to clean up our act, polish our appearance, and get in line to accept whatever challenges we are presented… with all of the enthusiasm and energy we can muster. If you are really ready for a harvest, are you ready to plow?
©2011 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label harvest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label harvest. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for June 15, 2010
June 15 ~ Isaiah 51:7
If you want to do right and to obey my teaching with all your heart, then pay close attention. Don't be discouraged when others insult you and say hurtful things.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Recently, I was channel surfing, and I stopped to listen to a message from a televangelist who was talking about “seed, time, and harvest,” a common teaching of “prosperity ministers.” I listened long enough to hear him call for 1000 people to rush to their telephones and pledge a “seed gift” of $1000 for his organization… and they were going to receive “immeasurable favor” from God in the form of great financial wealth in 2010. I had to laugh, because I don’t believe for one second that God requires specific dollar donations like this in order to answer prayers and bless His children.
We have to be careful, because Satan can use this sort of message to get us off course and focused on the wrong things. And he cleverly does this by interspersing some pearls of wisdom and solid teaching. Many cannot sift through the junk and discern the truths of God from Satan’s lies and his distractions of things like promises of immeasurable wealth. And honestly, this sort of teaching and preaching is insulting to me, because I believe God does want us to plant seeds, give Him time to work, and then expect a “harvest.” But I am not necessarily talking about money, much less “immeasurable wealth.”
In and amongst all of the pleas for a $1000 seed, this speaker did say something that I felt was important enough to repeat… Every single day, you and I are planting seeds. Our “seeds” may be words of kindness and encouragement spoken to someone. Or we may help a buddy move into a new apartment or cook a meal for a grieving neighbor. We may give our old clothes to the thrift store… or we might give money to the church or donate to a fundraiser to send kids to church camp. OR… we may sow seeds of gossip, dissention, disrespect, untruth, and hate. The choice is ours. Just like planting flower or vegetable seeds, time is needed for these seeds to take root and grow. But eventually, there is a harvest. Sometimes it comes quickly, and sometimes, it can take a long time. But we must not be discouraged. And here’s the kicker… we must expect a harvest.
I think where I have often failed is in my expectation. I have sown the seeds and forgotten them. I didn’t consciously believe God for a harvest when I wrote a note of encouragement or taught a junior high Sunday School class. I didn’t consciously recognize that I was sowing seeds in the kindergartners and first graders I taught – or the checker I smiled at in Wal-Mart. I also didn’t give much thought to the repercussions of sowing seeds of unkind words, gossip, or rudeness. If we stopped and thought about the seeds we sow – and the “harvest” – we might sow better seeds! We might also reap a better “harvest” and more fully experience God’s blessings and favor. When we expect God to show up in our lives, He surely will.
So my questions for all of us today are…
©2010 Debbie Robus
If you want to do right and to obey my teaching with all your heart, then pay close attention. Don't be discouraged when others insult you and say hurtful things.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Recently, I was channel surfing, and I stopped to listen to a message from a televangelist who was talking about “seed, time, and harvest,” a common teaching of “prosperity ministers.” I listened long enough to hear him call for 1000 people to rush to their telephones and pledge a “seed gift” of $1000 for his organization… and they were going to receive “immeasurable favor” from God in the form of great financial wealth in 2010. I had to laugh, because I don’t believe for one second that God requires specific dollar donations like this in order to answer prayers and bless His children.
We have to be careful, because Satan can use this sort of message to get us off course and focused on the wrong things. And he cleverly does this by interspersing some pearls of wisdom and solid teaching. Many cannot sift through the junk and discern the truths of God from Satan’s lies and his distractions of things like promises of immeasurable wealth. And honestly, this sort of teaching and preaching is insulting to me, because I believe God does want us to plant seeds, give Him time to work, and then expect a “harvest.” But I am not necessarily talking about money, much less “immeasurable wealth.”
In and amongst all of the pleas for a $1000 seed, this speaker did say something that I felt was important enough to repeat… Every single day, you and I are planting seeds. Our “seeds” may be words of kindness and encouragement spoken to someone. Or we may help a buddy move into a new apartment or cook a meal for a grieving neighbor. We may give our old clothes to the thrift store… or we might give money to the church or donate to a fundraiser to send kids to church camp. OR… we may sow seeds of gossip, dissention, disrespect, untruth, and hate. The choice is ours. Just like planting flower or vegetable seeds, time is needed for these seeds to take root and grow. But eventually, there is a harvest. Sometimes it comes quickly, and sometimes, it can take a long time. But we must not be discouraged. And here’s the kicker… we must expect a harvest.
I think where I have often failed is in my expectation. I have sown the seeds and forgotten them. I didn’t consciously believe God for a harvest when I wrote a note of encouragement or taught a junior high Sunday School class. I didn’t consciously recognize that I was sowing seeds in the kindergartners and first graders I taught – or the checker I smiled at in Wal-Mart. I also didn’t give much thought to the repercussions of sowing seeds of unkind words, gossip, or rudeness. If we stopped and thought about the seeds we sow – and the “harvest” – we might sow better seeds! We might also reap a better “harvest” and more fully experience God’s blessings and favor. When we expect God to show up in our lives, He surely will.
So my questions for all of us today are…
- What kind of seed are we sowing?
- Are we expecting a “harvest” and believing God for it?
©2010 Debbie Robus
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