Monday, December 30, 2002

Our friend Mark grew up on the farm - actually on an Ozark Mountain farm. And that means rocks in your fields! One local grandfather used to say, "Every time it rains I grow rocks in my field." Well, Mark knows all about that. Over a period of time, his mother made him clear hundreds of rocks out of one of their fields when he was just a little boy. Recently, Mark bought some land from his mother. And, as he has started to work one of the fields, he was really pleasantly surprised by how amazingly rock-free it is. Then it dawned on him. This was the field he had made rock-free when he was a boy!

I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Harvest of Doing Good."

Mark is reaping the good work he did many years ago - now he's enjoying the benefits of those efforts. It's a reminder of one of the wisest laws in the Bible - "Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap." (Galatians 6:7 ) We usually think about that in terms of the bad consequences of the bad seed we sow. But there's another side to that reaping equation.

In Galatians 6:8-9 , our word for today from the Word of God, it says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life." You don't just reap the bad you sow - you reap the good you sow. Paul goes on to make a very practical application - "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Why do we sometimes give up on some of the good we're trying to do? Because of the nature of harvesting. If a farmer plants corn on a Tuesday, he doesn't go out and pick it on a Wednesday. Or for many, many Wednesdays after that. There's a time lag between sowing and reaping - and it can look like nothing's going to come of it. So we quit sowing - in the lives of our children, our church, our co-workers, our friends.

But we end up living today in the life we built yesterday - the relationships we built - good or bad, the reputation we built, the ways we've treated people. You know, you did some sowing today - and you'll ultimately get back the kinds of things you sowed. So spend the time that person needs from you. Consciously do random acts of kindness each day. Give a gift when there's no occasion for your appreciation but just the person himself. Send those thank-you notes. Give that compliment; that word of encouragement Use the money God's entrusted to you to lift people's burdens and people's spirits. Don't be afraid to be generous - after all, Jesus said, "You lose your life by trying to hang onto it, but you find your life by giving it away." (Luke 9:24 )

Scripture is actually full of encouragement to keep sowing good seed. "Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again." (Ecclesiastes 11:1 ) "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more." (Mark 4:24 ) "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." (Proverbs 11:25 ) Don't be afraid of what you'll lose by giving - God has promised that you'll gain so much more. You don't become richer by keeping what you've got - you become richer by giving it away.

Keep scattering good seed wherever you go. There's an awesome harvest coming.