Harvest of Peace

By Lynn Mosher –

The autumn season is here in nature, bringing with it the thought of harvest. As nature goes through its seasons, so do we as Christians. As Solomon said, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.” (Eccl. 3:1NKJV)

We all have spiritual seasons of storm, calm, dryness, flood, abundance, lack, plus sowing and reaping. Circumstances come and go in our lives, but our aim is to always work toward having a spiritual harvest, no matter what the circumstantial season.

God once whispered to my heart…

“If the ground is not turned, I cannot plant My seeds. A life as a lovely green meadow with its abundance of wild flowers is a fair picture of beauty. But there’s more to be had from the rich soil lying beneath the surface blanket of a lovely green pasture. Cultivating this meadow can produce a harvest of fruit, of nourishment, of good things for others.

“The Hand of the One tilling the soil is the One Who loves it the most and sees the greatest potential in it for a harvest. The roots of unwanted growth beneath the surface must be ripped out that the ground might be tilled and furrowed. This gives room to accept the seeds of new growth and eventually welcome a beautiful, golden field of harvest, waving its ripened grain in the breeze.

“A life in the Hands of the One guiding the plow will display a fruitful meadow. When it is uprooted and turned over, it welcomes the plantings of the Master Husbandman and gladdens the hearts of others with its lovely field of produce.”

God is the Master Husbandman Who sometimes must dig deep furrows into our lives, knowing where the best soil lies, and, there, He drops in the seeds of His Word.

But sometimes, our lovely field of harvest is destroyed by roots of unwanted growth. Do you have any? I know I sometimes do.

Do you have any roots like: bitterness, unforgiveness, pride, gossip, complaining, judging, doubt, worry, unbelief, or hypocrisy?

No? None of those? Then, do you have the roots of too many duties, meetings, appointments, errands, kids’ activities, church obligations, or work, work, work?

No matter what roots attempt to work against us, if our lives are not accompanied by one thing, we will be miserable. And that one thing is…Peace!

If we are filled with sin or the anxieties of life and make no time to fellowship with the Beloved Husbandman for intimate conversations, then our peace is seriously at risk.

So, what seeds have you been planting? Sin-seeds? Busy-seeds? Have you failed to sow certain seeds and now you have a crop failure in some area of your life?

The most valuable seeds you can sow are the time-seed and the obedience-seed. Why? Because you reap the benefits and the harvest of His presence and His peace.

God said through Isaiah to Israel, “If you had obeyed me, you would have had peace like a full-flowing river.” (Is. 48:18a NCV) Ah, like a flowing river. Is that flowing river of peace missing in your life?

If the harvest coming up around you is not what you’d like, it may be time to check those seed bags. Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Gal. 6:7 NLT)

Jesus has given us His peace, as He told His disciples, “I am leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” (John 14:27 TLB) And don’t let those unwanted roots strangle your peace.

I love these two versions of James 3:18, “People who work for peace in a peaceful way plant a good crop of right-living.” (NCV) “And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness.” (TLB)

I pray for all of you as Paul prayed for the Thessalonians, “Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.” (2 Thess. 3:16 NKJV)

May you realize that the Husbandman’s plough is at work in your life to produce the greatest harvest…So, plant those seeds that produce a harvest of peace.

At a time of physical upheaval in 2000, Lynn felt led of the Lord to take up her pen and write. With this new passion, she has embraced her mission to reach others through Christ-honoring literature, encouraging them in their walk and offering comfort through the written word. Lynn lives with her hubby of 45 years in their Kentucky nest, emptied of three chicklets, and expanded by three grand-chicklets, and an inherited dog. You can find her at her blog at: http://lynnmosher.blogspot.com.