Farmer Plowing
Painted illustration of a farmer
plowing.
Luke 9:62 - And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.
Proverbs 20:4
- The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he
beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.
Job 4:8 -
Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap
the same.
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Heart
Message
Agriculture Agrarian economies provide first hand experience of the wisdom of God to those who work in them. Sowing and reaping are done by farmers to feed themselves and a hungry world, and the principles of the farm such as plowing, planting, watering, weeding, protecting and harvesting apply to every endeavor of human life. You don't have to be a farmer to benefit from a farmers wisdom. From a father planting love and discipline in his children and harvesting healthy caring productive adults to a salesman planting non-coercive and truthful information in a prospective client and harvesting a sale and future referrals, the seed and sower principles are there for anyone to follow. Here are a few principles, you probably know many more... Seed: Big things can come in small packages. Within the acorn seed is an Oak Tree. And on that Oak Tree are millions of other seeds that are in themselves Oak Trees. Therefore, within a single acorn is an entire forest. God's wisdom produces great abundance over time if planted wisely. Diligence Pays: If you want a harvest in fall, you have to sow in the spring. If you sow seed, you will reap the benefits programmed into that seed. If you sow watermelon seeds, you will reap watermelons. If you sow hard work in your business, you'll reap financial prosperity. If you sow laziness, you will reap poverty. Did you forget to sow? The good news is that any of us at any time can begin planting in any area of life and we then can expect a harvest. Patience is Powerful: You won't gain a forest overnight. There is a time of waiting for each seed. The bigger the plant, the longer it will take to gain the harvest. You can plant some grass on your front lawn and receive a harvest in a few weeks, and it's very exciting to see the green shoots come up and eventually cover the ground. If your goal is a forest of old growth Redwood trees, it's going to take a few generations to gain. But that's not to say that you won't see the beginnings, but your efforts will be benefiting those not even born yet. Ignorance Doesn't Stop the Seed: The seed principles work whether we understand and apply them or not. If we wish to ignore God's wisdom, it is still working in our lives. But we can certainly increase the harvest if we work the principles with understanding. The Evil Seed: The seed principles work for both good and evil. If we plant evil, we will reap evil. - "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life." Galatians 6:8 Name your Harvest: What kind of harvest do you want? Identify that harvest and work your way back in a plan. Are you a teacher who wants a harvest of educated students? What is it really going to take? Get out some paper and start with graduation and begin to ask the Lord for the steps that will result in that harvest. Some people envision the kind of funeral they want and work their way back in a life plan. Do you want a few people who come by obligation or do you want 1000 people who were grateful and testify about the life you lived? Taken a step further, there are those who will die without any praise from anyone, yet they pleased God and their harvest is with Him. Good Ground: Every farmer knows how vital it is to plant seed in fertile soil. Christ applied the seed principles to our very nature. Knowing that our hearts are the ground that God plants the seeds of His word within, we can ask ourselves, "What kind of ground am I and how can I be the kind of soil that will grow a harvest from God's word for His kingdom?" Matthew 13
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