April 6, 2013
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Always Harvesting a Crop!
What caught my attention in particular as he stated this irrevocable fact, was the remarkable 'spin' Mark placed on this hardly unique, but rarely if ever heard or considered facet of the stated principle. The Scriptures are a clear witness to it, but I think we hardly ever hear the emphasis or specific application as clearly as it was presented by Mark.
Just as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West (and we know that it does, even on those overcast days (when the sun never shows), we will always reap the harvest of what we have sown. It never fails--even in the midst of the most severe drought--if there is any crop at all, the harvest always reflects the seed that is sown--always. You can count on it! We all know this--it is never in doubt!
Mark spoke of an entertainer friend of his who loved to cook after shows in her tour bus, and loving to eat her cooking, he spent many hours listening to her stories. One evening, she told him about the time she as a child had helped her grandmother plant seeds in the garden. As they took the individual seeds and gently pushed them into the rich soil, her wise old ‘Momma’ said, "You know honey, we plant a garden patch every single day in the lives of other people. We need to plant the seeds of kindness, gentleness, compassion, mercy, longsuffering and faith into the life and heart of every person we meet. They will grow just as sure, you know, as these little seeds we are putting in this little garden patch here. And in time, just as sure, the seeds planted in the hearts of those people will bear fruit the same as these seeds here!"
The passage of Scripture Mark was illustrating with his friend’s story was, Galatians 6:7-8;
"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! 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. 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 . . . . "
I have had occasion to quote this entire passage of Scripture often in times past during the course of my teaching and preaching. I have heard others do the very same. And almost invariably, the first part of the passage--the warning part of sowing to one’s destruction (the word, "corruption" in the KJV speaks to the loss of life and the inevitable decay that accompanies it) seemed to be the primary focus of its application and teaching. The obsession with self and its life destroying effects were often emphasized--we reap the very same bitterness, pettiness and cynicism that we sow. This was invariably driven home each time it was taught. On the other hand, the idea that sowing good deeds were somehow connected to reaping a harvest of long lasting, even eternal consequences, seemed to usually be offered in a vague, off handed or off-to-the-side manner. And I failed to pick up on that in a deliberately conscious and focused manner.
The Scriptures, however, in Galatians chapter 5 and 6 make this clear and distinct connection. Sowing with the full intention of pleasing the Spirit, means keeping in step with Him as we give Him permission to constantly be involved in our lives with attitudes and activities that express a sense of grace, warmth, compassion, understanding, consideration and kindness toward the people around us. Intentionally living our lives in such a way with determination and due diligence invariably result in a rich harvest of the very same, ushering us into a permanent state of life before God (see Galatians 5:22-25). In the next chapter, Paul calls this reaping eternal life from the Spirit.
Because we can see with our very own eyes the effects of planting, we know (with favorable conditions) what will follow. Perhaps, as little children in a class room experiment or at home, we have seen tiny seeds we have planted, sprout and turn into small plants that could have or perhaps did eventually produce pods or some other fruit. The outcome is certain--we have proven it to ourselves!
And yet . . . somehow we question the outcome when it comes to the less visible realities that every one of us is immersed in. We sow to the flesh--that is, live selfishly for ourselves, ignoring the obvious needs of others and hope we can avoid the inevitable consequences of degradation, despair and the destructive results of a death inducing end which will come. It is inevitable!
By the same token, we doubt the far reaching and long lasting effects of a life constantly lived seeking to keep in step with God’s Holy Spirit--a life that desires very much to consistently please God. Because the effects of this kind of planting is not immediate or obviously apparent, it necessitates a bit more than a dogged determination to see this process through. It involves an abiding trust in taking a chance that our God knows exactly what He’s talking about when He urges us to sow to the Spirit honoring Him and blessing ourselves in the process.
As I pen these words, the thought comes to mind of Mark Lowry’s powerfully profound message, and somehow what I write here seems so much less compelling than his--what he said was so concise, forthright and rang so clear and true on that occasion. It was a wonderfully true message and I believe what I have written here is just as true, blending well with what he had to say. Perhaps part of it is due to the absence of the adrenaline rush of that moment among a boisterous enthusiastic crowd who loved everything Mark Lowry was saying and doing that evening. Anyway, I suspect our Lord in understanding that bursts of adrenaline will not sustain us over the long haul as we struggle to fathom this deeply rich spiritual truth, compelled Paul to reassure the Galatians: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Galatians 6:9).
One truth that can never be escaped--we will always be sowing something and eventually will reap exactly what we have sown! ~LAW~
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