Life is all about seed, time and harvesting. Whatever is sown in grounds of posterity, can be reaped in its own season. Success, victory, promotions, procreation, peaceful home and even special favors all answer to seed-sowing, proper-timing and harvesting. A good understanding of the mindset of a farmer, farming, and how to reap bountiful harvests, can help us appreciate and take good advantage, of fundamental life-processes, that God already puts in place, for everyone, to receive abundance for daily living.
“While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Gen 8:22 (KJV)
Everything about life responds to seed, time and harvest. Any man in need of a child must find himself the right woman to plant the seed in, just as the woman must wait on a man to release the seed in her. Anyone in need of money should put in necessary labor or deliberate effort and wait for due time. Any student that would pass an examination must study. Any church that would grow must put in effective people-services. Anyone who is sick should allow appropriate treatment and give prescribed antidote room to take effect. Anyone whose life is messed up, should allow the right influence and time to make the messed up life right again.
JET AGE FARMLESSNESS
The good virtue of sowing and patiently waiting for harvest is fast disappearing today. We are in a so called jet age, an age of instant gratifications. The Bible adage of “the hand of the diligent makes rich” is fading out. Just as young ones wake up to play and expect to eat later in the day, so also are many people lazying about and waiting endlessly for abundance to fall from the skies.
Many Christians now base their expectations on fake spirituality. Endless praying and fasting are fast replacing common-sense approaches to daily problem solving. We are in the times when spiritual leaders promise congregants what God has not asked them to. Many declare that “by this time tomorrow, you will become a millionaire.” While it is not impossible for God to over-ride valid life-processes, every once-in-a-while, as He sometimes does, yet, God has more lessons for us about seeding, timing, and harvesting, than he has for by-passing them.
There are many who’s lives validate a secular saying “religion is the opium of the people”, when they yield to smooth-talking Bible merchants who are there to take advantage of the masses for self interests. Some religious ones are more reliant on prophesied harvests that has no plan on seed-sowing and patiently waiting for harvest to ripen. Religious people also do nothing while waiting for the leaders’ declaration to come to pass “anyway, anyhow” and by “hook or crook”! Seed-sowing is more than putting money in a minister’s hands, it is more about getting on life-fields to labor towards your expected returns! Financial seed sowing in Church meetings may generate a favorable spiritual climate for you, but it does not and can never replace God-demanded seed-sowing action plans.
God instituted the principle of good farming, so that life can be pleasant, enjoyable and progressively productive for those that learn it.
“Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow: 4 And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. 5 And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: 6 But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. 8 And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred. 9 And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” Mark 4:3-9 (KJV)
The above Bible story of a sower (farmer) itemizes derivable action-plans for abundant harvesting of life-solutions.
1. The farmer went out. He did not lie idle within a comfort zone. He went out towards a planting field. 2. He had seeds in his bag as he left. The seeds were aimed at purpose in his heart. 3. He left the seeds on different grounds that they fell on. He had no qualms about losing some. A good farmer does not expect every single seed to fall in the right place, or to bring harvest. He knows that one that produces its harvests will cover up for a couple that does not. 4. After putting seeds in the ground, there had to be a time span to be patiently waited on.
5. Not all efforts produced desired result. Every farmer knows that it is not all seeds that turn out into desired harvest. But they are willing to overlook the unyielding, focusing more on the better growing parts. They are aware that the part that yields fruits will compensate for the parts that failed.
6. There is always a man-part and there is God’s part. Man has to allow the seeds to fall in appropriate places. God’s part is to provide favorable weather and atmospheric conditions for harvest to happen. If God provides the right conditions and there are no seed-sown only weed will show up. Also if anyone puts all the seeds in the right places a
nd misses out on God’s part, it will be a colossal waste of food and a drought. 7. Seed is food reserved, put to risk of loss, in order to produce more food for the next season. Good farmers understand the need to reserve something from the present, in order to have a super-abundant future.
The farmer in the above scripture did not merely go out, without sowing. Rather he diligently ensured that when he got to the farm, the seeds were actively planted in the grounds. Some people will set out to sow, but end up playing, or, fooling around, without actually putting the investments in the right place and at the right time.
There is always the right time to sow. Every crop has its own season. We all have to learn to put in the right effort at accurate timings. There was also a time span when sowing lasted. Within the time span, adequate efforts were made. After seeds were sown, we observe that the first seeding effort was devoured by fowls of the air, second effort hit stony ground without depth of needed earth while the third effort fell among wrong company of choking thorns, causing fruitlessness. (this fruitlessness was not because the seed was impotent but because a virile seed in the wrong environment and companions is as good as a barren seed, scriptures says the companion of fools shall be destroyed).
The fourth effort was in the right place and good ground. Even that, had different yields, thirty, sixty and hundred times. As the story requested, people with ears need to hear well! No scripture explains life & fruitfulness be
tter than the story of the farmer above. In the story, only one of four approaches and effort yielded beneficial results. Many of us tend to faint after one or two attempts at fruitfulness. We then resolve to do nothing and wait for manna to drop from heaven.
“And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?” Mark 4:13 (KJV)
A QUALITATIVE FARMER
A good farmer seeks to farm by “sowing”, daily, the seeds God has given him as his name (farmer) required. Our seeds are our talents, gifting, trainings, endowments, skills and abilities. God gives you seeds based on what talents, gifting, trainings, skills and abilities that you are called by (farmer, singer, preacher, counselor, artist, comedian, etc). You need to sow daily in the area of your “expertise”. The good farmer seeks the proper field to sow seeds in and goes to his or her own field to actually sow in it. Some sowing could be by the “road side”, rocky places, or among “choking thorns.” The more important thing is that the sower should get to his or her “own” field. Whoever owns the fields owns the harvest and controls it deployment. Find your own field and sow diligently in it. Remember that the Bible Sower did not wait until getting to good ground before allowing the seeds to drop off. It is important to pass through other grounds before the good ground. The negatives of other grounds gives overall beauty to the good ground. The good farmer sows in the right field & then watch over seeds sown to ensure required harvest.
Fruitful harvest is consist of all things that need to keep us in prosperity, good health and spiritual well-being.
The true farmer always ventures out towards goals of sowing. He or she engages definite scheduled motions in direction of his or her field. The farmer endures discomforts during the out-of-home fruit-seeking activities. He embraces certain pains of contrary weather, sacrifices certain food as seed for future harvest, and undertakes the fruit-seeking assignments with trust in God to “rain” on his efforts. The good farmer recognizes that his future is hidden in the seeds kept in his house. And, that, his seeds will not yield increase within the comforts of his home. He or she knows that the secret for tomorrow’s survival is in going out to sow in the fields.
The farmer being a physical being needs good food, good health and proper shelter, while waiting for harvest. As a soul-being, the farmer needs social acceptance, recognition, sense of belonging and working emotional relationship(s). Also, as a spirit-being the farmer needs divine intervention and special favors. But in spite of these tripartite needs, he or she engages self-discipline concerning the quests, curtails wrong actions while combating evident lacks, and patiently waits for harvests after which he or she expects the tripartite needs to be met. The good farmer often maintains integrity and keeps head above board without compromising valid values, human dignity and self respect.
MISERABLE NON-FARMER
A lot of people are frustrated and feeling miserable today because they have placed themselves under undue pressures to impress others rather than focus on their “investment-drives” first. They refuse to be good farmers who wait for their own harvests before impressing anyone. They are intimidated by the produce of others, who either labored hard to get results or stole what they are showing off.
The more materialistic world today is producing less real products. More of the younger generations are only keen on rendering mental services and would not want to spend time to “soil” their hands in the real manufacturing and productions sector. But, if nobody goes to the farm to produce real food like yam, tomato, mango and carrots, then we will be in for computer generated chemical food in a little time to come.
To be a good farmer, you need God. You need God-given seeds. You need God to help you locate the right field to sow in. You need God’s strength to weed a
nd watch over your sown seeds till harvest. Above all you need God’s divine intervention for rain to water your seeds sown. With God on your side and you on God’s side, you will experience the pleasantness of a good farmer. In today’s world, you will get God on your side fully only if you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord, Master and Saviour.
Each of our lives is a seed in God’s hands. If you are yielded to him through Christ Jesus, you will become a wonderful harvest. Your life will be so pleasant for others to want to emulate.
Accept that Jesus died; he arose from the dead, and is alive today! Give your life to Him and be saved from the destruction to come.
PRAYERS
If you want to be saved, say the following prayers aloud: “Lord Jesus, I come to you, today, just as I am. I repent from my sinful ways. Please forgive me my sins. I accept you as my Lord, Master and Saviour. I ask that you help me destroy every evil power and covenants that had a hold on me till now. I believe that from now on, I am born again. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me, from the powers of this world. I receive a fruitful life in Christ in Jesus name. Amen”
If you are already saved, you can also pray: “Lord, I thank you for your grace at work in my life. I ask that you help me to comprehend in what ways you want me to be a good farmer. I ask for strength to play my part and I thank you ahead of time because I know you will be faithful to play your own part too. I seek to have abundant harvest in my life, so help me LORD in the areas of my weaknesses until I produce abundant harvest by the strengths that you have given me. I declare by faith that the adversary is overcome concerning my fields and harvests. I receive abundant victory in my faith, family and finances. As a good farmer provide abundantly for others, I receive your grace to be an abundant supplier of solution to many around me. In JESUS CHRIST matchless name, I pray. Amen”