Fruitful Thought

  He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest]. Ecclesiastes 11:4 AMP How many people do you know that are waiting for the perfect conditions before they attempt to do something? Maybe it’s you. I know I have been there before. We say, “I’ll start working-out next month when I have more time, or “I’ll start saving when I make enough money.” How about this one, “when I get myself together, I’ll give my life to Jesus.” The next month comes, and still no time to work-out. You get an increase in salary and still don’t save. Also, if we could get ourselves together, we would not need Jesus. These are, the so called, perfect conditions. They’re really excuses to keep us from doing what we need to do (procrastinating). Procrastination will keep us from sowing, doing the work required to receive a harvest. I can say that because I was a fully vested member of the Perfect Condition/Procra...

Now he who supplies seed to the Sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10 We are currently experiencing an inflation in every area of life. The increase of prices for basic needs like food and shelter are a concern across the globe. This issue was most common to the less fortunate, those on a fixed income or no income at all. Now no one is exempt from this issue. It has caused us all to be conscientious and aware of how we spend and buy. However, God is still in control and is not surprised by what is happening in the world. This scripture tells us that the Lord is our supplier, provides increase and enlarges our harvest of righteousness. We must reframe from complaining about the increase of things we need like gas or food and recognize the blessing to pull up to the gas station or grocery store to get what we need despite the price increase. Also, when we see others in need or ...

Then He said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field." Matthew 9:37-38 NKJV Harvest time is the season when ripened crops are gathered, implying there’s a certain time that is best to do it. When I travel a few miles from my home I see just that. Each Spring they start to plant, and by the fall, the crops are ready for harvest. The time is right. Jesus recognized the same thing when he viewed a crowd. The time is right! He made that statement after viewing the crowd and having compassion for them. The bible says, “He was moved with compassion because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.” He recognized that the time was right to harvest. His statement is still relevant today, “the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.” There are so many people that are weary, lost, like sheep looking for a shepherd. The field (this world) is r...

So, let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Galatians 6:9 The harvest has always been a beautiful and important part of life on earth, the time when the year’s work bears fruit, and the people are fed.   One of my favorite scriptures about harvest is Galatians 6:9. When I read this scripture, it gives me hope and encouragement to keep moving. Especially when you face challenging times and people. But when I meditate on this scripture, it reveals so much more. It is an opportunity to get in God’s presence to gain understanding during processing cycle.   It reveals in the practical sense that you are like a farmer that sow seeds and reaps a harvest. This concept leads to me asking questions like; “Am I sowing seeds?” “What kind of seed am I sowing?” “What kind of harvest am I expecting?”   These questions are valid because they will determine the cycle that takes place in reaping a ...

  Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Romans 12:2 MSG I love the Message version of this scripture because it makes it plan. Paul is writing to believers in Rome. He is cautioning them not to get so accustomed to the values and practices of the world that they fit in without even thinking about it. Sometimes we can get so used to something, we cannot tell when it is no longer benefiting us. We start blending in so much it becomes second nature. We adjust to the environment we are in. When that happens, it is difficult to change. Paul gives them an alternative. He tells them to replace the behavior of fitting in by fixing their minds on God. Paul understood it would take changing their thinking to avoid giving in to the culture or the worlds way of doing things. He also knew that if they did this, God would change them from the inside out. Paul’s w...

  Sometime later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals.   Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda [ a ]  and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.   Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.   One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.   When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him,  “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” John 5:1-7 This story is a notable example of making the choice to change or not. Although it is referring to healing, the principle is still the same, a change needs to take place. But the choice lies with the individual alone. This pool of water was known to heal peop...

  For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? Isaiah 43.19a NLT When God says He’s doing something new, that implies that the present state is about to change. In fact, the process has already begun. You see, it’s not new to God, just us. It was already in His plans. The question is are we ready for the change? Here’s the thing, whether we are ready or not, if God says it’s coming, it’s coming. Not only is it coming, but it’s also already begun. How do we typically respond to change? For some of us we get so comfortable with our current situation, that we either do not want to change or do not recognize when the change is taking place. Some recognize the change and get excited about it initially, but do not see it happening fast enough and throw in the towel. Others recognize it, understand that it’s a process and embrace the journey. I remember when God spoke to me about ministry. He showed me that it was going to be different than what ...