Are You Happy With Your Harvest

Robert I Holmes

One day when I was flying into Seattle, I heard the Lord ask me two disturbing questions. The first was innocent enough, "Are you happy with your harvest?" I was beginning to ponder that when he followed up with, "What about the return on My investment?"

Harvest is a difficult thing to consider when you are talking about a life. My Harvest? What is that? Besides, how do I measure it? What is my seed? What outcomes am I pressing for in life. and am I achieving them? The second question though, brings an eternal perspective. God placed seed in my life, he spoke my name into my mothers womb and destined me for a purpose He appointed me to bear good fruit. "You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name" (John 15:16).

Sown much, reaped little

At this time, I was studying the book of Haggai, and to my surprise I began to find harvest right there in the minor prophets. For example, God says to Israel: "You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough. You that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the LORD of hosts: Consider then how you have fared" (Hag. 1:6,7).

He is speaking at first literally - you have sown seed and harvested little. You have earned wages, only to loose them. But behind this is a spiritual imperative: are you happy with the harvest? Of course Israel was supposed to reply, "No we are not happy!" to which God can bring some remedy.

Jesus said, "What is the kingdom of God like? And to what should I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that someone took and sowed in the garden; it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches" (Luke 13:18).

The kingdom of God operates on a seed and growth principle. The smallest seed produces a large tree. Anyone who has traveled the east may well have seen (as I have) a Mustard Tree. Most of the time we only allow the plant to take root and produce one season of seeds for harvest. But Mustard Trees can grow for decades and produce vast amounts of seed.

Seeds don't look like trees!

A mustard seed is small, brown and insignificant. A mustard tree is large, lush, spindly and fruitful. So it is with all trees and plants: Banana seed (those small black dots in your banana), banana tree; apple seed, apple tree; tea seed, tea bush.

One cannot measure the harvest by looking at the seeds. One can not even begin to aim for a harvest of mustard, but looking at a mustard seed. They do not compare. A tiny seed can produce a massive tree - just look at the acorn. God is not asking us to measure the seed, but consider the harvest potential.

As an aside - one therefore does not sow an apple seed expecting to reap apple seeds, one expects apples. Neither does one sow a guitar expecting a guitar, or sow money expecting to reap money! It is not the seed - but the harvest, the fruit we are after. One does not sow a soul to reap a soul in the harvest. One sows the gospel to reap a soul for the Kingdom!

The seed left in the barn

The prophet goes on to ask Israel, "Is there any seed left in the barn? Do the vine, the fig tree, the pomegranate, and the olive tree still yield nothing?" (Hag. 2:19). Behind God's questions to me that day lay a deeper meaning - have you still seed in your barn? What seed have I held onto because of fear, because of past failure or because of inadequacy.

I know of a man who had two children, beautiful girls. The Lord had promised him a baby boy. For years he and his wife wrestled with this promise, because they were actually very happy with their family the way it was. Besides which, he feared his ability to sire a son. He feared it might also be a girl.

One day I received a call from him, from hospital. "I've just had an operation!" he said, somewhat triumphantly. Yes, he would not have anymore children now. I was heart broken. The seed would stay in the barn, the son promised would never come. The promise would not see fulfillment. But how many of us are the same? What kind of operation, what kind of avoidance, what cover have we hidden under, only to hear God call our name?

Sowing good seed

The next thing I consider, once I have determined to sow seed, and find my field, is this - what kind of seed do I sow? "He put before them another parable: The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field" (Matt. 13:24).

Not just any seed, it must be carefully prepared, well selected, good seed. I live in a rural district where lots of farming goes on. My neighbour - Andy owns many thousands of acres. One day I was in the field with his son, asking him about how he chooses his crops. One year wheat, the next year canola, the next year fallow. He told me about crop rotation, and climate and season.

But then his son, Murray floored me with this. "Seed selection actually goes a lot further than you might think. We work with the CSIRO on developing seed. We assist them in creating better crops. We take the best of last years' crop, and grow a new generation of seed for the harvest"! Wow, how that principle could apply in life!

Harvest of righteousness

When the topic of seedtime and harvest comes up, most of us go straight to thinking about money. We have heard Malachi 3 on tithes, we have heard so many sermons on giving, money and seed. But this has been to the detriment of considering the broader range of harvest available to us. Eternal reward, abundant harvest.

In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul begins by covering suffering, offense, the new covenant, the gospel, resurrection, judgment day, reconciliation to the gospel, the marks of true ministry, and then he turns to the subject of giving. In chapter 8 he thoroughly covers the need to excel in giving, taking up collections, donations for needs and the issue of motives. He starts chapter 9 by saying "It is unnecessary for me to write any further to you about giving" (vs 1). They are willing and eager.

So he moves up - he moves on to the subject of sowing and harvest. He says if we sow sparingly we reap sparingly (vs 6). He says God loves a cheerful giver (vs 8) then makes the point that God will make GRACE abound toward you (vs 9). That's right. Not money. grace. "Always having all sufficiency in all things". That's right - all things. Then this:

"Now may He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits [harvest] of your righteousness." (2 Cor. 9:10)

1. There is bread for eating, and seed for sowing. Don't eat your seed and sow your bread!

2. He will supply and multiply only the seed you have sown, Seed in the store house does not multiply. Only seed sown, released, let go can multiply.

3. The result of it all is an increased harvest of RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Your harvest tested

The sobering point about God's second question to me is this - He IS looking for results. My harvest is being and will be measured. "Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, the work of each builder will become visible. it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test it."       (1 Cor. 3:12,13).

The parable of the steward also shows us that God left mankind with the "stuff". The master "went away" and gave his kingdom to us (Matt. 25:14,15). At the end of the day, there will be an accounting for all that we have been given. How are you using your "stuff"?

References

Roberts, Murray. Private discussion, January 2002.