The Law of the Harvest
The Law of the Harvest Devotional
The weather outside makes it hard to believe it is the middle of October and that we are deep into the harvest season. When we were in Wichita, the wheat harvest took precedence over everything else. It had to be done at just the right moment under the best possible conditions. Not too wet, not too dry. Heads were fully developed, ahead of the high wind season that threatened to blow the crop away. And everyone was involved in the harvest in some way, often starting early in the day and working late into the night.
I sound like I know what I am talking about, sort of. But I am not a food gardener. My attempts at that have failed miserably (more on that in a few minutes). But I do have some knowledge based on what my experience is. That experience is admittedly at least second or third hand. Gleaned from observation and conversation I had with wheat farmers who were a part of our Advisory Board.
One of the key factors in farming and gardening is related to the adage “You reap what you sow.” If you plant wheat, you will harvest wheat. If you plant corn, you will harvest corn. Bananas don’t grow on apple trees and blueberries don’t grow on strawberry plants. Pumpkins don’t grow on pine trees. Unless I plant them. I planted pumpkins one, ignoring the planting instructions. I planted them with multiple seeds in one hole and much closer together than they suggested. As you may suspect, they took over my yard, even when I kept mowing them down. Some of the vines grew through the fence and made their way of the trunks of my neighbor’s majestic pine trees. One day I looked out my second story window and spotted several pumpkins growing 30 feet up in those pine trees.
This reap what you sow concept is often used in the Bible to illustrate the actions and reactions of people to the goodness of God. Jesus’ parable of the Sower, and the parable of the soils are two well known passages. But the adage “You reap what you sow” is actually a quotation from Paul’s writing to the Galatians
Galatians 6: 7b -10 "A man reaps what he sows. 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. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
Today, we are reaping the harvest of what has been done before. The challenges in our society did not just emerge, they were planted in the past and have been allowed to grow, and sometimes thrive. Sometimes cultivated and encouraged, but often organically. Sometimes they have been growing around us, and we have been completely unaware of their presence. It has been this way since the beginning of creation, and the fall of humanity.
But it does not need to stay this way. The Apostle’s admonition to not grow weary in doing good carries with it the promise of a harvest. If we sow good, good will return for the harvest. Remember, you reap what you sow. If you want to see good, then do good; and do not become weary in it.