Friday, March 4, 2011

March 5, 2011

"So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." Galatians 6:9

If you want to grow through the grind you need to put together a daily routine that is based on the "how" of the harvest. The "how of the harvest is the simple truth that you will reap what you sow. You can't plant apple seeds and get an orange tree. Likewise, you can't sow to the flesh and reap spiritual results. So if your daily routine is driven by selfish desires and you sow seeds of instant gratification you will reap heartache and trouble. Heartache and trouble will wear you out! They will complicate your life!

The first principle of growing in the grind is this - sow in the grind! As you live out your daily routine make sure you sow spiritual seeds!

Our text today bluntly admits that doing good is harder than doing evil because you are working against your nature. So, choosing to do the right thing - the obedient thing every day can wear you out because you usually do not see immediate results.  Working hard and seeing no benefit can wear you down.

So, how do you keep from growing weary in the daily grind of sowing spiritual seeds?

That brings us to the second principle of growing in the grind - show up in the grind!

What does that mean? It means you have hope! It means that you understand the seasons of life and you have hope in the cerainty of the seasons. Ecclesiastes reminds us that everything has a season and a time. "There is a time to sow and a time to reap". This principle understands that if you have the hope of the harvest will show up every day to sow seeds of righteousness in the power of God's love. You understand that if you do the hard work now, it will be more than worth it at the time of the harvest.

Don't let the grind of daily doing good cause you to lose hope in the harvest. The harvest WILL come and when it comes it will bring the results of what you have sown! In that hope - no, in that certainty - develop a daily routine where you show up and sow spiritual seeds.

Without the hope of the harvest you will wear out and stop showing up so when the harvest comes it will reveal the results of your neglect.

Are you growing weary in your routine? Remember the hope of the harvest! Show up today and sow spiritual seeds - seeds of obedience, seeds of grace, seeds of truth, seeds of faith, and seeds of love in the power of God's Spirit. When the day of harvest shows up, you will be glad you did, too!