The Harvest

I love it when God takes a passage of scripture that I've heard multiple times in my life, and He opens my eyes to see it and hear it as if I've never heard it before. That happened to me this past Saturday as I was working through the "Stepping Up" Bible study by Beth Moore. Scripture came alive, and I was so excited and renewed by it, that I could hardly stand it. I preached a mini-sermon of it to Randy when He got home (poor fella), and I have been chewing on it all week. Years ago, Randy actually preached on this same passage on several different occasions, with great visuals I might add, but that may have been the last time that it was before my eyes. And I needed to hear it again. I will try not to preach my mini-sermon here (so I don't have to say "poor you" to you), but I might not be the only person who needed to see this in a fresh way, so here goes...

In Luke 8, Jesus had just shared a parable with the crowds who were following Him, about a farmer who was sowing his seed. Some seed fell on the path, some on the rocks, other seed fell on the thorns, and then seed fell onto the good soil. Then he gave the following explanation:

Luke 8:11-15 11 "This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life's worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

I have spent a lot of time in the last few years pondering why believers, namely myself, can hear the Word of God, feel inspired by it, excited about it, and then still struggle so dang much with life, freedom (or lack thereof), inconsistency in our walk with God, etc. Verse 14 just jumped right off the page at me this time. We become choked by life's worries, choked by life's riches, and choked by life's pleasures. I found it so interesting that riches and pleasures were referred to as thorns. The very things that we seek out...more money, more stuff, feeling good, pleasures of the world... they can be the very thorns that choke us and keep us from what God has for us. I will willingly claim to have let the worries of life choke me, keeping me from maturing in my faith and from producing a harvest from the seed thrown onto my life. But, wow... how many times have I let the pursuit of happiness, pleasure, and security, choke me and keep me from maturing in my faith and from producing a harvest. I want to mature. I want the thorns gone. I want God to produce a harvest in my life.

So, as verse 15 says, in order to mature and produce a crop, we must pursue the heart of God, which transforms our heart to reflect His. I must hear the Word... read it, study it, digest it, talk about it with fellow believers. I must retain it... memorize it, digest it, speak it. And I must persevere. I must persevere! When life is tough, I must persevere! When I don't understand God, I must persevere! When I don't like my circumstances, I must persevere! And then God will bring about a harvest in my life. Only then. There's no shortcut.

OK, well I guess I did preach the sermon... (poor you!) But, I think I mainly was preaching it to myself.

James 1:2-6
Consider it PURE JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

I don't want to lack anything. I want my life to produce a harvest. I will persevere.