Plant Love, Harvest Blessings

Thanks in part to a string of rainstorms, many farmers here in southern Iowa have just finished their harvest for the year. It is the end of one part of the process, and soon the next will begin. It's a never-ending cycle that makes the farmers one with the land.

Earlier this week we talked about how Jesus spoke to His disciples in terminology they would understand. He could tell fishermen about being fishers of men because the phrase was straight from their own livelihood. Then He could continue speaking of spiritual things because they were on the same page.

There are many stories in the Bible that speak to the heart of a midwestern girl. Life began in a garden with humans tending to the plants and animals. Joseph taught the Egyptians about storing grain in times of plenty for the lean days that were coming. Solomon described the vineyards, gardens and orchards that he planted. Jesus Christ told parables of the vineyard, sowing, reaping, planting and harvesting. These are concepts that ring true because we live them and see them on a daily basis.

With these truths in mind, we should be steadfast in our desire to plant love in as many hearts and lives as we possibly can. With more seeds of God's word going into the ground, the greater harvest of blessings there will be in due season. This means the fruit of the spirit - love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance - must be planted every single day.

The reward for this diligent planting is a season of great harvest down the road. These aren't blessings of money, health or fame, but souls saved, God glorified and His goodness proclaimed. These are the greatest crops we could ever hope to see. And when we're focused on these eternal rewards, the things of this world will grow strangely dim.

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