Standing in the apple orchard earlier this month was an amazing experience. Yes! I had a wonderful time choosing and picking apples with George. Yes! It was wonderful to dream of all we would make with those apples, but it went beyond those good feelings. It was the wonder of seeing the fruit of someone’s labors stretching out around me in every direction. It was the realization we were enjoying the fruit of years of work and time.
Did you know standard apple trees can take up to eight years to fruit?!
Maybe that’s why Paul wrote this…
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 (NLT)
Paul understood the importance of time and timing. Read it again. Notice the prepositional phrase he uses to begin the second sentence.
“At just the right time”
Now notice how he ends the very same sentence.
“if we don’t give up.”
Now jump back to the first sentence.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.”
Ouch!
Time and Timing require us to Work while we Wait!
That’s right! Waiting is hard enough, but having to work like we see a harvest is even harder when we can’t see any evidence of our work.
So, I’m asking myself a few questions.
Am I doing the work required for the harvest I want to reap? If so…
Do I trust God’s timing in my life? In the life of others? Always? Or just when I see or understand what He’s doing in the unseen?
Those questions led me to a couple of other questions?
Are there times I’m getting in God’s way instead of working with Him?
Am I trying to harvest before it’s just the right time?
Different fruits ripen differently. For instance, a strawberry will not ripen (mature) one bit more once it’s separated from the plant? But an apple will continue to ripen after it’s removed from the tree. In fact, even after harvested, an apple will cause other fruits and vegetables to ripen.
Wait! We’ll save the maturing process for next week.
Between Then and Now…
1 Read your Bible. Let’s read Galatians this week. There are only six chapters, so it’s doable for even the busiest schedules. Be sure to ask Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply what you learned.
2 Exercise. Get outside as much as possible.
3 Pray. Use your time outside to pray for your neighbors as you walk around your hood.
LORD, help us to do the work of planting with happy hearts. And help us to trust You and Your timing for us and others. Prevent us from trying to rush the process of planting and harvest. Knit our hearts to Yours and enable us to do the work by faith and not by sight. We love you and we want to show You our love with actions motivated by trust. Help us, LORD. Please help us! Amen.
Digging Deeper:
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see. Hebrews 11:1 (NLT)
If you have not yet met Jesus, you can meet Him today. He created you. He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His family. I encourage you to step into the life He created you to live. You will still have the troubles of this world, but you will no longer be facing them alone. I’m praying for you! https://peacewithgod.net/mobile/?utm_source=Microsoft&utm_medium=CPC&utm_term=HowToGoToHeaven&utm_campaign=USPWGMobileSearchMic
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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