Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Spirit’s Harvest
(Galatians 5:15-26)
Farmers expect to produce a crop. Of course, weather and soil conditions influence the size of the harvest; but the fact remains: farmers expect to harvest something.
Some time back this author visited the wild blueberry fields of Nova Scotia, Canada. The grower had taken great pains to insure a crop, including importing bees for pollinating his berry bushes. Having done all he could, he expected a bumper crop. Unfortunately, his investment that year did not pay off. Some sort of blight reduced his yield so significantly that he claimed the loss against a crop insurance policy. He did not get what he had expected: blueberries!
The fruit of the Spirit is similar to the farmer’s blueberries. The fruit of the Spirit is the crop that the Spirit expects to reap from the life of a believer. The crop includes love, joy, peace, etc. The Spirit lovingly and patiently sows these virtuous seeds in our lives, expecting to reap a harvest of righteousness. He has done all He can to insure a bountiful crop!
How tragic it is when the Spirit of God is disappointed with His crop in our lives! The problem, do doubt, lies with us. Our lives are not open, fertile fields. Perhaps the “water of the word” is unknown to our parched, barren ground. Whatever the reason, if our lives are fruitless, it is our own fault. Let us this day “break up” our “fallow” ground that the Spirit may produce his fruit in our lives (Hosea 10:12).
