9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.
Yesterday, I began our time by sharing about seasons, utilizing the pro football season as a backdrop for the seasons of life that we go through. Today, I'd like to continue in that vein.
Many, because they aren't reaping the harvest they just planted, get angry, confused, and walk-away, assuming incorrectly that the law of reaping and sowing doesn't apply to your past. But the truth is what we've sown, we will reap, even if it was from an earlier season in our life. The blessing comes when you recognize that even through the worst of circumstances God is with you now, He doesn't leave you when you get results you didn't want, and He doesn't withhold His grace and never-ending mercy to help you through whatever the harvest may bring - if you just don't quit.
Many times spiritually we are searching for a new season aren’t we? We believe God for a new season. We pray for new areas of blessing in our life. We seek after new experiences in God and we are always looking for the NEW that is to come.
And then sometimes, let’s be honest, when we get the NEW, we aren’t too happy with it. We arrive at our new season and we are frustrated with God because it seems to not be very different from the old that we’ve been sick of for a while. Part of that frustration comes from our understanding of the concept of a new season. You see when we hear the word "NEW" we have certain expectations in our mind immediately. NEW Car, NEW Home, NEW Baby, NEW Job, NEW Bank Account with a Million Dollars in it. . .
Because we assume that NEW means better (NEW AND IMPROVED),
we think that a NEW SEASON in our life automatically insinuates that things are
changing from BAD to GOOD. And in many cases they do. . . but the KINGDOM of GOD is not
a linear kingdom. What do I mean by that?
We assume many times that the kingdom of God operates the way us humans
typically operate.
For us, our seasons operate in order as time progresses down
the time line. . .Winter 2020. . . Spring 2020. . . Summer 2020. . . Fall 2020.
. . Winter 2021. . . Spring 2021. . . Summer 2021. . . Fall 2021. . . on and on
right. You don’t like this season – temperature too cold – colors
don’t match your hair – wanna wear your white shoes – just hold on, a NEW
SEASON is coming. And anything “new” is
always better than where we are right now, because unfortunately we are always focused on the destination, but God's focus is many times on the journey.
His purpose for your season is much different than your purpose. Your purpose many times centers on getting through it, and moving to the next, but God's purpose is many times centered on the growth opportunities available to you in this season of your life. So He doesn't operate within our concept of time, and yet - He's never late. He is not confused by your situation, nor does he get intimidated by your expectations.
Paul writes in Romans 8:28 that "all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." We have been inclined to read that to say, "Everything that happens to me will be good because I love God and I am called to His purpose." But that's not what it says at all. So, allow me to share Romans 8:28 with you from the RPV (that's the Rodney Pavie version :-) It reads, "All things that happen in my life; good, bad, happy, sad, frustrating, liberating - all things are working together to bring about good in my life, because I have chosen to love God and recognize that I am called, not to my own purpose or devices, but according to HIS purpose. My life is not my own, and it's really not about me." My version is probably a little longer, and it probably doesn't fit comfortably on a plaque, but I'm dense so God has to smack me upside the head sometimes.
Now - because God works on His own time table, taken out of context, any number of events in our lives when viewed on their own certainly don't seem to have any purpose in bringing about good at all. BUT, He knows the beginning from the end. He knows HOW MY STORY ENDS. . . and HE knows that if I will learn the lesson for the season I'm in, if I will trust Him in this season, if I just refuse to quit, I will reap the harvest of this season when His timing is perfected in me.
1. I WILL REAP A HARVEST AT THE PROPER TIME, IF I JUST DON'T QUIT
The law of sowing and reaping is a law of nature - what you sow you will reap. But rarely does a farmer plant seed, and reap the harvest immediately. Time has to go by. Seasons have to change. A farmer may sow in spring, and not reap until the late summer or early fall. If he plants today, and tomorrow he doesn't see anything, so he quits, he negates the work of sowing, and fails to reap the harvest at the proper time. Sowing and reaping takes time, and as has been said God's timing is much different than ours. But just because you don't understand the timing, it doesn't make God's clock wrong. It means that we've got to practice the fruit of patience and endurance. Living for God, and walking in His Kingdom, is not a sprint, it's an endurance race, but He who endures to the end, that's who reaps the reward.
2. DON'T QUIT EVEN WHEN YOU REAP THE HARVEST OF AN EARLIER SEASON
Sometimes we struggle because we sow good things into our lives, but we are still reaping a harvest of bad seeds sown in a previous season. The good things will produce a good harvest in the proper time, if you just don't quit. The reality is that sometimes, we come to God carrying some heavy baggage. We have sowed some stuff and we confess it to
God, and HE delivers us from the sin, rescues us from the guilt and shame, even
lightens our load. But unfortunately some of our sinful actions have
consequences. Some of our mistakes came
with a price tag. And while God forgives the sin, you have to reap the product,
the harvest if you will, of your actions. And so you are now doing good – you are living right, but you
still have the costs of past mistakes greeting you every day.
Growing up, my parents were hardworkers, and they were diligent to raise hardworkers. "Can't" was not an option. When there was work to be done, she didn't stop until it was complete. I remember many nights my mom would be working outside until it was so dark you couldn't see anymore, but she didn't quit. She got it from my grandfather who you could ride by his house at the edge of dark and he'd be working, and you could ride by at sunrised, and he'd be working. They believed in the motto, that when the going got tough, the tough kept going. I used to joke that we work Timex because they took a licking and kept ticking, and we word Toughskin Jeans because you could tear the knees out, but they had an extra layer of fabric in the knee so they could still be passed on to your little brother. The truth was my Dad worked at Sears, and that's what they sold, but those ideas worked themselves into the fabric of my DNA, and I believe in hard work, and I don't like words like "can't". If there's work that needs to be done, I will stay in the fight until there's no fight left to be fought because I'm not gonna quit. My mom use to have this poem on our refrigerator as a stark reminder that she didn't raise quitters . . . and 40 some odd years later, it still speaks to me. . . and I hope it does to you as well:
Don’t Quit – By Edgar Guest
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit-
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a fellow turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow -
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out -
The silver tint in the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It might be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
MEMORY VERSE - "And let
us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not
lose heart." Galatians 6:9 (NKJV)
PRAYER DIRECTIVE - Stay focused on Him today. Opportunities will arise to throw in the towel, to walk away in the heat of the fight. But remember that He who began a good work is able to see it through to completion, and He will not bail out when the going gets tough. Ask God today to give you strength for your season. The waiting between planting and reaping can be the most agonizing, but those are the times to increase your closeness with Him. Spend some time in adoration today, recognizing how great HE is, and How far He has brought you on this journey!
I hope you will keep going today - keep praying - keep fasting - keep pursuing God's best in your life.
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