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Good morning,
Let's begin by discussing one of the verses that was given in last week's Word. Here is the complete verse, "Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows the seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine and all the hills shall melt [that is, everything heretofore barren and unfruitful shall overflow with spiritual blessing]." (Amos 9:13) Thatis a wonderful promise to all who have sown the good "God-kind" of seed, but I always think about the seeds that we sow that we may not want to bring forth a bountiful harvest. You know, like the last fleshly fit that you had, that one you did not repent of. That is a seed that was sown that will bring a harvest as well. How often do we plant seeds in our lives and never recognize that it is part of our harvest too? I am always amazed when the saints treat others (especially other saints) with disrespect, rudeness, anger, fits of flesh, and the list could go on and on, yet in return they actually expect other people to treat them tenderly, with respect, and with high regard. Why? That's not what your harvest should be. The Word that we love to use for our financial harvest, actually covers all seeds sown, not just finances. Everything we do in our lives is a seed for a future harvest. If you lie to others, you can expect others will lie to you, that's your harvest. If you never support other people, eventually, others will not support you, that will be your harvest. If you walk out while others are talking, eventually, others will walk out when you talk. If you gossip, backbite, and slander others, eventually, somebody is going to slander, backbite, and gossip about you. If you are always late to work, church, etc., when you have something, and want others to show up on time, there will be people who will give to you your harvest. As time speeds up, your harvest will come faster, whether it is for good or bad, you are the one who sows or plant the seeds. "Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life". (Gal. 6:7-8) What is one of the greatest precepts of God that we must never set aside, or push aside, in order to pursue our gain, ease, or pleasure? "You do well when you complete the Royal Rule [precept] of the Scriptures: "Love others as you love yourself." But if you play up to these so-called important people, you go against the Rule and stand convicted by it. You can't pick and choose in these things, specializing in keeping one or two things in God's law and ignoring others." (James 2:8; Message Bible) You know that is exactly what we do, pick and choose the part of the Word that we want to do. The royal or the highest precept is love and it can never be set aside as you sow, and do not think that your harvest will be great, it will eventually begin to decay and destruct in your life.
The New Living Translation of Galatians 6:7-8 says; "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit." You will harvest what you plant, that is plain and straight forward. We can only expect to come up what we put in, if we are only sowing to our flesh, getting our own personal gain, it will eventually bring a harvest of decay and death. Remember, "Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life." (Prov. 4:23) You are the only one that can keep yourself in the love of God, (Jude 1:21) which will determine the course or path of your life, or your harvest. You want a harvest that is worthy of the Kingdom and that will bump up your financial seeds as well, then sow great seeds of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, humility, and self control. Saints, this is how we are to be recognized! When we begin to sow seeds consistently with the force of love, then when our grain and grapes grow faster than they can be harvested we will be glad to see our harvest come. We won't be scratching our head in unbelief, asking, "Is that my harvest? What did I do to deserve that?" Now we can weed our garden and get rid of some of the insects that infect our production and cause everything that has been barren and unfruitful to begin to overflow in blessings in our lives!
Love,
Pastor D.
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Daughters of Z 