The Father’s Heart: Planting & Harvesting
“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.”
Galatians 6:7-9 MSG
Obvious Fact #1: What you plant, you harvest.
If you plant an apple seed, you reap an apple tree that bears apples. It certainly won’t bear oranges.
Every year, in the spring, my in-laws plant their huge garden. And every fall, their harvest is faithful to the seeds that were planted. Beans, tomatoes, corn, zucchini and cucumbers each burst through the soil right where they were planted. No surprises.
So why is it that Paul has to remind us that it is the same obvious principle with people…with you and me. If we plant selfishness, we will only reap weeds in our life. If we don’t care about others or God, our lives will produce nothing but weeds. (Ya know, that invasive species, in the garden, that springs up and chokes out the good harvest.)
And why is it we can’t, or don’t want to, understand that if you’re all about yourself, your life will produce nothing but weeds.That’s worse than producing nothing at all.
Weeds are a nemesis to a good crop. They will choke out the seedlings of the intended good harvest…and that’s just what selfishness does…pukes over and destroys the good that could have been harvested.
You sow to the flesh, you will reap nothing but a throw-away life.
But if we listen and respond to God’s Spirit living in us, instead of letting our own selfish desires take over like weeds…we will harvest a crop of real life, eternal life! Life that makes a difference now and for all eternity! Wow! The harvest of living this kind of life has dividends now AND later. This is an eternal harvest. Supernatural harvest, as “God’s Spirit is doing the growth work in you”, so it HAS to be supernatural. The harvest goes on forever.
In fact, Paul sums it up like this…if we keep on keeping on doing good (“letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in you”) then just at the right time (God’s perfect timing) we will harvest a good crop IF we don’t give up or quit.
