Hindering Harvest?- Open Heavens devotional by Pastor E. A Adeboye

BIBLE IN A YEAR: Matt. 5-8

HINDERING HARVEST?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

MEMORIZE: “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest notwhether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good” (Eccl. 11:6)

READ: Mark 4:3-8

If you want your gifts to bring you great yields, give when it is not convenient. Be a hard giver! Solomon was an extraordinarily prosperous man. But he entered into his great harvest through practicing some Biblical principles on giving. And in Ecclesiastes 11:4-6, he shares some of them with whoever is ready to learn. He was an incurable giver who sowed at the different times of the day and would not be stopped by any unpleasant weather. What is that unpleasant situation preventing you from sowing the seed that could transform your life? Look beyond the weather: See your harvest coming. Are you facing financial challenges? That is an appropriate time to sow. Sow in your need!

Another principle we can learn from the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17:8-16 is that she considered the ground to sow before sowing. She sowed on good soil. According to the parable of the sower recorded in Mark 4:3-8, there are different soils to sow - each with different yields. This widow had just one seed yet, she carefully chose the most suitable ground to plant it. While the foolish sow by the road side, among thorns and on hard soils, the wise hold back their seeds until they find the good soil capable of delivering their expected harvests. One thing we learn from this is that the ability to identify the best yielding soils is essential in sowing.

This requires a combination of knowledge, experience, sensitivity to the promptings of the Spirit, readiness to obey the Lord no matter how odd the order is, and ability to take on spiritual risks. If you cannot take spiritual risks, you may not be able to hit the highest returns from your seeds. The role of knowledge in sowing entails knowing what the Bible says concerning sowing and therefore scrutinizing the different grounds open for sowing. Not all Gospel churches are good grounds for sowing.

Where the pastor is reckless with members’ seeds, or where he keeps diverting specific seeds for projects to unidentified expenses, he may water down the harvest of the sower. For instance, if people sow into the television ministry of a particular church and the leader uses such seeds to support his flamboyant life-style, he becomes the hinderance between them and their seed. Leaders must use seeds sown for the purpose they have been sown so as to create room for a good harvest for the sower.

ACTION POINT:
Ask that God will bring peace into states prone to religious crises. Pray for greater religious tolerance among nations and states.