Derek Smith, Lead Pastor LHBC
Galatians 6:7-9
Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.
For farmers it is that time of year again, time to plant the crops. Right now farmers across the country are starting to plant their crops for the season. Fields are being plowed and sown in expectation of a substantial harvest coming in the summer and fall. There is a lot of hard work that goes into planting, but there is a very simple principle here. If you don’t plant seed you won’t have a harvest.
Paul says here that whatever you sow this also you will reap. If you sow to the flesh you will reap corruption, but if you sow to the Spirit you will reap eternal life. I recently came across this passage again during this Covid-19 crisis and wow did God use it in my heart! Here’s what the Lord shared with me: it’s time to plant! Child of God, it’s time to plant some stuff that will reap a harvest of righteousness for the glory of God when this crisis subsides. What should we plant? Well, Paul says sow to the Spirit, but what does that mean?
Right now, sow into your prayer life. Spend more time in prayer right now than you ever have before. Soak up the presence of the Lord. Read the Psalms and praise the Lord as you pray. Lift specific requests to the Lord. Pray for healing for those affected by the disease. Pray for our local, state, and national leaders to have wisdom and strength from the Lord. Pray for doctors, nurses, and first responders to be protected from this virus but also strengthened to carry out their work. Pray for an awakening in our city, our state, the nation, and in the world. Pray that many will be saved and the church will grow as a result. The Lord is drawing us back to Himself so pray that we will draw near to Him. Claim 2 Chronicles 7:14 and sow that prayer to the Spirit every day.
Secondly, sow into the Word. This world is filled with lies and deception. The enemy wants to paralyze us with fear right now concerning our health and our freedoms as Americans, but the enemy is a defeated foe! Through Christ’s death and resurrection the Devil has been rendered powerless in the life of the Child of God, so claim Isaiah 54:17 which says no weapon formed against us will prosper! Also, practically many of us have more time at home on our hands than we had before, so sow into your Bible reading and meditation. Develop a habitual routine that will endure beyond this crisis.
Next, sow into your family. Parents, how are you intentionally putting the Word into the hearts of your children right now? Married folks, how are you and your spouse praying together right now? This is an amazing opportunity to sow into your family in ways that will leave a lasting impact. Our kids especially will remember this historical time in their lives, and the intentional things you do right now to teach them about Jesus and the gospel will never be forgotten.
Lastly, sow the gospel into your neighbors. This can start with social media, but then it moves to personal conversations as those become more readily available over the coming weeks. Every seed of the gospel we plant into someone else’s heart has the potential to become a fruitful harvest of salvation. There are only crops where there have been seeds, therefore sow seeds of the gospel.
My prayer is that we will plant seeds of the Spirit into our prayer lives, Bible reading, families, and neighbors right now that lead to a harvest of deeper discipleship which lasts the remainder of our lives. Don’t waste this season! Don’t miss the opportunity to reap a harvest. Sow to the Spirit and you will reap in due time if you don’t grow weary! Child of God, it’s time to plant, so plow up some ground and sow to the Spirit!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Father God, I don’t understand why we are facing this crisis, but I know that you are sovereign over it. You want to transform me by the renewing of my mind during this time so that I might be conformed more to the image of Christ. Lord, help me sow gospel seeds right now. Help me do the hard work of a spiritual farmer knowing that I will reap a harvest in season. In Jesus name I pray, amen.
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Hosea 10:12
Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.