Let Us Not Grow Weary

by Jessica Finney

Have you ever done something you knew was what God wanted you to do, but you just got tired of doing it?

It is so easy to fall in the trap of the devil and feel we aren't getting the "pat on the back" we think we deserve. We can also feel we aren't getting the help we want, or we have just done it so long we feel we aren't doing any good.

It says in Galatians 6:9 "And let us not grow weary, while doing good for in due season we shall reap if we do not loose heart."

The Lord talks a lot about reaping and harvesting.  I believe this means if we keep our eyes on God and continue to do as God wants us to we will bring others to Him because we will be reaping what we sow.

Matthew 9:37, "He said to His disciples "The harvest truly is plentiful but the laborers are few."

People are waiting for us to show them Christ, but too often we let ourselves get in the way.

This next week let's try to encourage each other to not grow weary doing good but to continue to show the love of God to the world.

Lord, help me be who You want me to be.  Let me lead others to You by showing You through me. Help me to remember that I don't need man's applause but need to bring them to You.  Thank You for Your strength that You give us each and every day.  In Jesus name, Amen.

Harvest

by Denise Reed

This Week’s Verse: Matthew 9:37-38 “Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few’. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (NIV)

Devotion:

I don’t know about you, but harvest season stirs something inside me. When I see that first combine out in the field I get excited. It means the farmers will finally reap what they have worked so hard to plant (maybe replant), spray, fertilize, and check up on for the past few months. There is something so satisfying about getting the crops out of the field and into storage.

It also brings cooler evenings, gorgeous leaves, and campfires with s’mores, radiant mums and football.

Seeing the first signs of harvest this year brought all these warm, cozy feelings back. However, God reminded me of HIS harvest. God’s harvest is more than just how many bushels per acre your corn and beans made. It is a matter between eternal life and eternal death.

God’s harvest is SO plentiful. Think of how many billions of people live on this earth. That’s how many plants God has in his ‘field’. God has called us to nurture each other with the Living Word and encouragement, just as fertilizer does for crops. WE are his workers. Once the harvest is done, it’s done – no second chances.

God’s harvest is not one of warm, cozy feelings, but one of urgency. Am I fertilizing God’s crops like I should so God has a bountiful harvest? Or have I failed to prevent weeds from growing up, therefore stunting the growth of the plants around me? Have I stopped gossip and negativity when I have heard it? Or did I sit back and listen to it, even without joining in?

As this week’s verse says, the workers are few. We must stand out and be bold under God’s authority. We must take responsibility of informing others about eternal life or eternal death to the plants around us.

Lord, I thank you for the beautiful harvest season I see around me. Your creation is magnificent. Help me to open my eyes and see YOUR harvest. Help me to reach out to those who need nurturing and prevent weeds to stunt my own spiritual growth and the growth of those around me. Amen

Application: As you drive along and see the farmers’ harvest this year, think about God’s harvest. Feel the urgency to go out and be the best workers you can be.

Power Verses:

John 4:35 “Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (NIV)

James 5:20 “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (NIV)

Acts 11:23 “When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.” (NLT)

Serious Berry Pickin'

by Kathy Lay

This Week’s Verse: Hosea 10:12, “I said, ‘Plant the good seeds of righteousness, and you will harvest a crop of my love. Plow up the hard ground of your hearts, for now is the time to seek the LORD, that he may come and shower righteousness upon you.’”

Devotion:
Blackberry bushes line the perimeter of our yard and this time of year we’re usually out reaping the harvest. These are wild bushes; we didn’t plant them and yet we’re able to enjoy their luscious fruit.

There is a small price to pay for the bounty though. The thorns on the bushes can make berry-picking a painful experience if we’re not careful. Most of the time, we just stick to the outside berries—even though they’re usually smaller—so that we don’t have to endure being poked and pierced. We usually take the easy way out.

But while I was doing the “easy” picking last year, I spied through the leaves and branches a fat, full, succulent cluster of berries. They were so much better than “the outside berries”—so plump and huge.

I weighed my options. I could lean straight forward through a lot of thorny branches, tough it out, grab the blackberries, then deal with the consequences later. Or I could try to find a way in from the back, decreasing (only a little!) my exposure to the thorns, but increasing (a lot!) the time invested for the berries. With the heat and bugs pestering me, I opted to get right to business and leaned through about three feet of prickly hell. But I got those berries! And it was so worth it when the kids and I had dark juicy stains on our lips!

How like berry-picking is living for God. He graces us with blessings we don’t deserve (we didn’t plant those bushes), but then our will comes into play as far as what we do with them. We could ignore them altogether. We could randomly pick at them as we speed past on the lawn mower of life. We could make an intentional effort, but merely settle for small fruit while playing it safe on the outside.

Or we could sacrifice ourselves and go deep, seeking the biggest and the best waiting for us.

Lord, put a longing in our hearts to keep our eyes on the prize—the best fruit for Your kingdom. Put a yearning in us to go beyond our comfort zone and sustain us to persevere. Even if we get pierced or hurt along the way, help us to remember that You, Jesus, did it first. And thank You for that.

Power Verses:
Philippians 3:14, “I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”(NIV)
Mark 8:34, “Calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, ‘Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for?’” (MSG)
Jeremiah 45:5, “’And do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek them; for behold, I will bring adversity on all flesh,’ says the LORD. ‘But I will give your life to you as a prize in all places, wherever you go.’” (NKJV)