What to Harvest?

​When it comes to farming, every farmer makes his living by the principle ‘You reap what you sow’.
A farmer wouldn’t expect to go out and sow gorse seeds and expect to reap a crop of juicy melons. That’s not the way horticulture works.
If we expanded out the farming idea we would see that the farmer reaps what he sows, and always more than he sows.
 
When a single grain of wheat is planted in the ground it grows into a wheat stalk containing hundreds of wheat grains. The farmer reaps what he sows, more than he sows and later that he sows’.
Likewise in life we also reap what we sow. 

This principle is an all play, those who follow Jesus and those who don’t are all ruled by this law, or principle. It’s inescapable. Other religions have recognised this rule of God’s and called it things like Karma, or the universe. That’s because this rules governs all of us, it’s that self evident. We only fool ourselves if we think we can outsmart this one.
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So what do you want to reap in your life? What are you currently reaping? We’d probably all answer we’d love to do better and reap better consequences.
 
That’s why it’s good at this time of the year reflect on this principle. What do you want to reap through the year, and ongoing?
 
Jesus was a master at this with people. He was the epitome of generosity. Wherever he went his compassion led him to give out extra of himself.
Jesus embodied generosity, towards those the rest hated or shunned, the sick the poor, the despised tax collectors, the woman caught in adultery and with children. Jesus was generous with his time and his love.
 
In our relationships with each other we have an opportunity to model some of Jesus characteristics.
Each of us comes to a place in a relationship where we have choice. When a behaviour doesn’t meet our expectation we can choose one of two options. We can assume the worst of that person, or we can believe the best of that person. When we choose to believe the best of that person we place our trust in them, this is how healthy relationships grow and bear fruit, when we choose to assume the worst of that person we participate in the slow demise of that relationship because we withhold our trust and look for ways in which we can be proved right.
 
Jesus in his interactions with others embodied what Paul wrote in the famous love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13,

Love’s great-hearted; love is kind,
knows no jealousy, makes no fuss,
is not puffed up, 5 no shameless ways,
doesn’t force its rightful claim,
doesn’t rage or bear a grudge,
6 doesn’t cheer at others’ harm,
rejoices, rather, in the truth.
7 Love bears all things, believes all things,
love hopes all things, endures all things. (NTE)

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​The challenge here comes with can you replace love with your name in the sentence? I know I couldn’t I’d be picking my wife up off the floor laughing if I thought I could. The premise here is that we can’t be this in our own strength, but when Christ lives through us we sow this kind of love into the world around us and we become kingdom partners with Jesus.
 
If you want to sow a seed of love this year, start with loving those around you, those closest. Bring margin into your relationships by choosing to believe the best. Surrender to the Holy Spirit and see what harvest God has for you in the coming years. I guarantee it will be more than you sow and later than you have sown.
 
Dave Maharey