Two Harvests
Image by Yossi R.
It's Springtime still, and as a proverb says: "Springtime feeds the whole year". Have you been out planting? If so, good for you! If you planted any fruits or vegetables, let me ask you, what benefit(s) are you expecting to receive from your sowing?
Let's talk about watermelons. You stick a seed in the ground, cover it, water it, and as it continues to be warm outside you water and water it. The plant grows, buds appear, flowers open, fruit develops. Are you looking forward to eating a ripe juicy watermelon? Of course! But what else do you find when you cut open a watermelon? SEEDS! And LOTS of them! Probably most people aren't fans of seeds in watermelons, but they are actually super important. Why? Because if we never had watermelon seeds, we would only have one watermelon plant, and then no matter how delicious it was, how many people would be able to taste it? Not many.
So...what am I getting at? Well, yesterday I was reading from the book called "Education" by E. White, and I came across a really amazing illustration!
"The wheat develops, “first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:28. The object of the husbandman in the sowing of the seed and the culture of the plant, is the production of grain—bread for the hungry, and seed for future harvests. So the divine Husbandman looks for a harvest. He is seeking to reproduce Himself in the hearts and lives of His followers, that through them He may be reproduced in other hearts and lives. " ~Education 106.2
As I was reading, what was coming to my mind is how WE should be "Seed Planters" too, sowing the seeds of the Gospel; God's Word and His Love! Keep sowing, everyday, everywhere, with everyone (this doesn't mean you have to be a street preacher, but let your deportment and actions be like sweet smelling incense that you cannot hide, and like beautiful crystals reflecting the light of the sun! You can be smiling, kind, courteous, gentle, helpful, etc. etc.!), and then expect TWO HARVESTS!
We cannot make seeds to sprout, plants to grow, or flowers to pollinate. God oversees that! Likewise we cannot force people to accept God's Love into their hearts to transform them, but as we pray for people and shine God's Love to them, He sends His Holy Spirit to work in their hearts, and in every heart that allows God in, there WILL be a harvest. And then another harvest. TWO HARVESTS!
You might be wondering how this could be? Well, when we plant a watermelon seed, we expect to harvest delicious fruit. Not only that, we expect to collect MANNNNNY seeds to sow so many more watermelon plants!!! So, likewise, in Gospel Gardening, when we share Jesus, we want to see others' lives being transformed into beautiful Christians, and then, each Christian in turn becomes a missionary to plant lots more "seeds" of God's Love to other people! Then in turn God gives them the desire and it grows and grows! Praise the Lord!
So, in these last few days of Spring lets focus on cooperating with God to be SEED PLANTERS, sowing for TWO HARVESTS!!!