It's Harvest Time

It's Harvest Time!

Gal. 6:7-10 Msg.

7-8 Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest.

*The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds.

*All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds!

(did you know when it comes to keeping a yard… you can maintain the weeds and still have them looking good from a distance.

Haven't you ever heard someone say after mowing the grass...if it weren't for the weeds I'd have no yard at all.

But the Bible doesn't tell us to maintain the weeds while were here…the Bible tells us to plant)

*But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.

9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good.

*At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.

*Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

When we think of harvest what do we imagine? I know I usually think of the farmers who are busily bringing in their crop…

However this year is a year of different sorts with all the wetness from the rain..it has been a real and ongoing struggle to bring in the crops...

Bringing in the harvest requires commitment, it requires work and diligence

It must be very frustrating to have such a bountiful harvest and not be able to reap it in the timeframe that you want to..

and at the same time facing the risk of losing it all together if you don't get it harvested in the timeframe you've been given

It's kind of how it is in the spiritual realm... such a bountiful harvest souls For the kingdom,

so difficult it seems to bring them in..in the timeframe that we have been given

what does a harvest look like for you?

Some think that a harvest only comes once a year..

I guess that depends how often you sow the seeds for the harvest

Now I know this would be a hard one to do but....

I wonder what our world would be like if we sowed seeds of kindness and each of us would find somebody to be good to every day..like the second part of this next scripture tells us

Mark 12:30-31 MSG

Jesus said, “The first in importance is, ‘Listen, Israel: The Lord your God is one; so love the Lord God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence and energy.’ And here is the second: ‘Love others as well as you love yourself.’ There is no other commandment that ranks with these.”

What would our neighborhoods be like?

What would our work place be like?

What would our schools be like?

What would our world be like…

if we made it a point to brighten somebody else’s day?

Then why don't we do this more often?

You know, We all have the opportunity to plant and harvest...

its up to each of us to decide whether or not to participate

TBS.(the bible says) "Every opportunity we have, we should do good to people" starting with the ones that are right in front of us

Is it hard to do? It's not so hard to do..if you are willing to try.

If you want a good harvest..then you have to be willing to

participate in the growth period doing all you can to ensure the end result

Cultivation here is what we're talking about..

it works in gardening..It works in life

Did you know that bringing the good out and someone is a harvest..

Did you know that bring a smile to someone's face is a harvest..

Did you know that Complementing someone is a planting a seed and someone feeling good about themselves as a result of it..is a harvest…

And although it's hard to do at times...that's what happens as a result of loving your neighbor as yourself on a daily basis

Illus.

Planting seeds believing and receiving

planting seeds out of my need

planting seeds I will keep believing

God will keep increasing and blessing me

We need to have the mindset of, what kind of seed can I plant today.

"Who can I bless today?" "who can I do a favor for?"

Opportunities are everywhere… If you are willing to look for them

There is an old saying and it holds true…

You will always reap what you sow

The harvest that you reap in and on your life… is the result of what you sow.

When you sow beans, you reap beans... Sow corn, reap corn...sow meanness and strife, I think it would be safe to say you're not going to like the harvest.