The Real Harvest
Remember this- a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
2 Corinthians 9:6 NLT
The area around us has been looking a little different over the last few weeks. I take Sylvia to school in the morning, surrounded by fields full of corn and soybeans. Going to pick her up, I find fields have been completely harvested in the hours since.
I’m not surprised since harvest comes around every year. But I am surprised at just how quickly a field can be finished! (Assuming nothing breaks down, of course.)
The thing is, for those of us who aren’t farmers, harvest looks like a few weeks of the year. A time that stands alone. The farmers come in, the farmers harvest, the farmers are done.
We can’t know what we don’t know. And if we don’t know the preparation then we can’t really understand the feat of harvest.
A farmer has to have access to land. They have to understand the soil content and climate of the area to know which seeds to buy and how many. He or she has to know the best time to plant. A farmer has to know common (and not so common) weeds to prepare for minimizing them in the field. A farmer has to have lots of equipment: tractor, disc, planter, sprayer, combine, grain wagon, semi truck and trailer… The farmer has to have grain bins to store the crop between harvesting and selling. And most farmers need workers to get it all done.
It all adds up to a huge investment— of time, money, knowledge, emotions. And ultimately, there is no guarantee for success. And yet, the farmer continues on, season after season after season.
Maybe it would be good if we all knew a little more about farming. God asks us to participate after all. Not necessarily in the literal “work in the dirt” sense, though.
We are to bring people to Jesus. And how do we do this? By knowing people, and having some understanding of the community where they live. Often it’s the people in our own community. We spend time with people to know their wants and needs. We have to be aware of some of the temptations and pitfalls around us, and some of the resources available for those who struggle. It’s likely we have access to some “equipment”: bibles, bible studies, worship music, small groups, discipleship, our church family, our pastor… Churches plan for fostering young Christians along their way once they turn to Jesus. It's not just over.
And it all adds up to a huge investment— of time, possibly money, knowledge, emotions. And ultimately, there is no guarantee for success. But God tells us to go on, and plant generously among His people, season after season after season and generation after generation after generation.
Are you generously planting?
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