Who Sows the Harvest?

“I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”” John 4:38 NIV

It’s harvest time. That means its time for cooler nights and pumpkin spiced everything. One of the popular activities in my household during this harvest time is apple picking. I have to be honest, I’m not a fan. I would much rather just buy my apples at the grocery store, but my wife loves it so I acquiesce. Every year we go and I watch the faces in the orchard. Moms, dads, boys and girls running through the rows of trees; faces gleaming with joy when they find fruit worthy of placing in their baskets. All these faces, all these people, filled with joy as they reap a harvest that someone else sowed.

In John 4, Jesus has just finished telling the Samaritan woman, “everything she ever did” and He sits at the well waiting for harvest that he knows is coming. He knows its coming because he planted the seed. He did the work and now he waits to see the fruit of his labor. The disciples are oblivious. Their concern is tied up in getting Jesus to eat something. After all, they did just run all the way into town to get him the food. Now, Jesus is uninterested. His focus is on something else. Unaware of his reasonings and eager to make their trip worthwhile they push Jesus further. Jesus reveals where is focus is…

““My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.” John 4:34 NIV

You see, Jesus had all the sustenance he needed. It wasn’t found in figs, bread, or fish; It was found in doing the will of him who sent (Jesus) and finishing his work. Jesus was literally on a mission from God. His job was to finish the work the Father started way back in Eden. A work of repairing the divide that separated man from his Creator. A work that Christ completed when he bore our sins upon the cross and uttered the words, “It is finished.”

Now, it’s harvest time.

And just like the faces I see every year in the orchard, our faces should light up with joy as we eagerly look for the fruit of God’s handiwork. The souls, once lost, who are now making their way back to the arms of the Father. As we see them, we become tools used in the reaping process. Paul describes this role as ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5). The work has been completed, the seeds have been sowed, the vine has been tended to, but now the fields are ripe for harvest. It’s time for us to reap the benefits of Christ’s labor.

Are you ready to gather the harvest for Christ?

Are you willing to be a minister of reconciliation, leading people back into the loving kindness that the Father has waiting for them?

Lord, today I pray that you would prepare us to participate in your harvest. Let us be joyful as we seek out the fruit for which you labored. Let us be slow to speak and quick to listen to your instruction during this time. Let us share in your ministry of leading the lost back home into your loving arms.

Amen.

Battle Plan for Fear

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-unrwp-f2178a

These days we see fear all around us. How should the believer in Jesus react to the voices of fear that surround him or her?

Waiting

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ijqiz-d58bce

This message is about God’s power. You need to hear this message.

The Runaway Prophet

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-7yyhu-d4dd4e

The Runaway Prophet Compels us to join ourselves to the heart of God for the lost. It examines how easily we may miss God’s heart even in ministry.

Obedience School

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-5wq5t-d44bf7

Ever wonder what God is doing? Pastor Dave shows the reason for nearly everything God does in our lives.

Satan’s To Do List

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-uy82f-d36bbb

This Wednesday night teaching is a reminder that the enemy of your soul is up to something.

God Wants YOU to Give

Times are not tough. The economy is booming. The unemployment stats are the lowest in 50 years. And yet the church is suffering financially. People have grown complacent in their duty to give. Selfishness has crept into the church. It isn’t surprising. Throughout the scriptures the people of God had their failures in giving. Probably the most notorious is the rebuke to those leaders in the book of Malachi. There God explained that “…“You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house.” (Malachi‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬)‬‬

The Apostle Paul prodded the Corinthian believers to develop a pattern of giving in their lives. He expressed the need for them to be proficient at giving. Anything else is selfish, tight-fisted, and stingy.

“But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭8:7‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

So what are the reasons we fail to give generously.

Lack of Gratitude. We don’t believe that God is responsible for the blessing on our lives. If we did we would express gratitude by giving. Giving generously, faithfully, and cheerfully are discipleship basics. Yet, it is very easy to forget where we once came from. Luke 17 tells the story of the 10 cleansed lepers. Jesus was shocked to see the ingratitude of the 9 out of ten leper’s healed. It is appalling that they failed to give thanks. Ingratitude is an ugly trait and demonstrates a lack of true faith.

Lack of Perspective. For some people who are always comparing themselves with their neighbor, coveting the latest and fanciest things, giving seems a very low priority. They are concerned mostly with getting more. The Bible calls this kind of greed by a different word, idolatry (Col.3.5) Putting God first is a discipline of the heart primarily, but it also trains our eyes to not be caught up in the shiny baubles of the world around us. We should be practicing a biblical worldview in everything we do, especially handling our finances.

Lack of Discipline. Some people don’t make the time to get their financial house in order. They spend emotionally, without plotting their priorities. They find themselves in debt with credit cards maxed out and burdened by payments that weigh them down. Their lack of discipline costs them more dearly than they know. Their life cannot be blessed in the way God desires until they align with the system God designed! It becomes impossible to give God ten percent because they are giving MasterCard 26%!

Lack of faith. People who are afraid to honor God with their increase (Prov. 3.9) demonstrate the weakness of their faith in accepting God’s promise to supply all their needs. They doubt God and therefore they hold back their obedience to give. They substitute fear for faith and reap a whirlwind of trouble for their spiritual compromise.

In 35 years of pastoring, I have seen lives that were financially shipwrecked redeemed as the principles of Biblical giving were practiced in their lives. These were very dramatic transformations! Finding financial freedom begins at giving. A simple rule to live by is the 10/10/80 rule. It takes an adjustment at first. Plan to save 10 %. Give 10% to God through the local church. And budget your life off of 80 %. God wants you to be the head not the tail, he wants to use your life as a “show and tell” and to make you free, generous, and blessed. So begin now to “excel in the grace of giving”.

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.” Proverbs‬ ‭3:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Waiting for the Harvest

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV

This has always been one of my favorite verses. During the hardest seasons of my life I would look to this verse and try to draw some sort of solace from the words of this prophet.

Habakkuk was written by a man who was desperate to see his situation change. He and his people had suffered at the hands of ruthless armies. Now a new army had risen up, one that would lay siege to the Holy City. A new army that would light a fire which couldn’t be snuffed out. A fire that would engulf the temple where he once had worshipped. It’s embers still glowing as his people are carried, enslaved and exiled, away from their home. This was a desperate man praying desperate prayers. Hoping, longing, and waiting for His God to respond and save his people from this desolation.

His prayers would resonate with my spirit. Even now, his words take me back to my own time of waiting. It was these words that resonated most…

“Though the fig tree does not bud…yet I will rejoice in the Lord…”

I remember being encouraged that this man, desperate like myself, would still rejoice even if God didn’t come through. My mind would picture the three young Jewish scholars, hands bound as they were pushed in the fiery furnace. “Even if you don’t,” I would whisper to myself…

If only I knew that I had missed the point.

That point I missed is found in verse 18-19.

“…yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.”

Habakkuk 3:18-19 NIV

My interpretation stripped Habakkuk’s statement of the incredible faith that it displays. I thought that this desperate prophet was prepared to worship God despite God not answering his call, but the truth is quite the opposite. Habakkuk was prepared to worship God, even if he saw no evidence of God moving, because he ultimately believed that God would come through.

He is able to make this statement because he is confident in two things:

• He was confident in who God is. Habakkuk describes God as savior, sovereign and strength. He believes in God’s identity as his savior. As one who would rescue him from the calamity that faced him. As one who would snatch him from the mouth of the lion and carry him to safety. He believed in God’s identity as sovereign, meaning that God was in total control his life and situation. That his fate was in the hands of the Almighty. And he believed in God’s identity as his strength. As the source that was able to sustain him until his salvation.

• He was confident in what God could do. He believed that God could “enable him to tread on the heights.” He knew that God was able; able to deliver him from his enemies. To equip him with what he needed to walk over the mountain that stood before him.

Maybe the desperate words of the prophet resonate with your spirit. Maybe they remind you of the desperate situation you face today. Let me encourage you.

God is able. More than able. Be confident in God’s identity as a sovereign savior. Trust in the strength that he is able to supply you and he will equip and enable you to overcome.

I write this final devotional of our prayer week from incredible heights. Literally speaking, I am 22,000 feet in the air, flying to Colorado to climb the 2nd largest mountain in the lower 48 states. Spiritually speaking, I write as someone who stood in front of a mountain, begging it to move, until I finally allowed God to equip and enable my feet to walk over the mountain in my way. If you find yourself in the valley be confident that God will lead you up and over your circumstance.

The power in Habakkuk’s statement of faith is his belief without seeing. The time of harvest is coming. These incredibly difficult situations that you have been laboring through will produce fruit. Even if you haven’t seen the signs, trust that it’s coming and you will truly see God’s goodness in the land of the living.

Father, today we declare the words of Habakkuk.

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior

The Promise of Harvest

For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it about the oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 1 Corinthians 9:9,10 (NLT)

I grew up in a farming town. Like, “Drive Your Tractor to School Day was a thing” kind of farming town. And during harvest season, all capable family members were needed to work as much as possible to get the harvest in and ready for distributors. There was only a narrow window of time for it, so these families would be working 12+ hour days on a seemingly endless list of tasks in order to bring in their crops. So when I read these passages about the harvest, one truth resounds within me: THE HARVEST IS HARD WORK.

Spiritually speaking, the acts of “plowing” (gathering people and resources) and “threshing” (refining of the rough product that is our humanity) take an immense amount of intentionality and work; but we are promised something. Through the hard work, our God will sustain us, and at the end of it all, we will share in the harvest.

Just like God provided for the oxen who labored in the harvest, He also provides for us during this season. We are His children as well as the workers, and He promises we will see the fruit of our labor. Even in the midst of the hardest work we’ve ever done, there is a perspective of God’s provision that can stamp out uncertainty. It’s a joyful hope that we have in spiritual harvest that physical harvest can never secure. So we commit to the work before us with the knowledge of what lies ahead. Whether it’s immediate healing, salvation of a loved one, financial provision we need, or simply the greatness of eternity with our Father, we look up from our work in hope.

Thank you, Lord, for the promise of spiritual harvest. As we continue to chase after You and follow Your will, may we find hope in knowing that you have a plan for the future that far surpasses ours. Sustain us through the work of the harvest that we have committed to do. Amen.

A Father’s Harvest

“He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬‬‬‬‬

Farming was a family business in Bible times. It still is for many today. The plight of the modern farmer is that harvest comes when harvest comes. There is a moment when the crop is ready to pluck up and send to market. It is most valuable in that very moment, not before or after the moment. These days many farmers work off the farm. They punch a clock like the rest of us, except they come home to 150 acres of work. Even with the marvelous and expensive equipment, combines, threshers, reapers, etc, the farmer cannot change the moment when the harvest is ready.

It is a given that some night in the near future farmers all over the Midwest will be putting in all nighters driving machines that cost like houses in order to pull that crop at the right time. It requires the dedication to work, the wisdom to see what needs to be done, and the commitment to follow through.

Imagine the proud farmer from back in the Bible days returning from the marketplace to find the crops ready to harvest. It was the perfect time! Suddenly in the midst of his concern as to how he would bring in the crop the farmer spies a sight that warms his heart and eases his mind. It is his son who has seen that the time is right. He has taken it upon his self to begin the harvesting process. The father joins right in beaming with pride that his son has demonstrated that he has caught the vision of the father. He understands the value system of his father and recognizes that all that the father has done has lead to this day. The father sees this as prudence.

You and I are in the Father’s field. We have the opportunity to seize the moment when the harvest is at it’s ripest. That moment will never be a better moment. Others may come behind to labor in the field but this moment will never repeat itself. If we squander the opportunity we have can we really say that we have learned the Father’s heart? Can we really say we understand the Father’s purpose and passion?

The proverb above tells us of the Father’s responses. Either beaming with pride at our wise prudence or shaking his head in disgrace at the missed opportunity.

God, you have placed us in this harvest field. Your heart is for the harvest. May what we do today in this field of harvest demonstrate that we understand your priority. May we share your love for the harvest. We pray that you will give us eyes to see fruit ready to harvest, lives ready to hear about the love of God, and boldness to step out in our Father’s business.

AMEN.