George recently took me apple picking. We’ve never picked our own apples before, but it was a great day outdoors together. We went to a local farm recommended by a friend from church. I did a little online research before going. I wanted to learn “how” to pick apples and which kind of apples I wanted to pick. We picked a half bushel of Fuji apples and a peck of Granny Smith apples. The Fuji are for the apple butter, and the Granny Smith are for baking.
The words Paul wrote in Galatians came to mind as I stood in the orchard that day. Read what he wrote:
Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7 (NLT)
Honestly, it was amazing to stand there surrounded by all those fruit trees. It was obvious they were chosen and planted in those locations with intention and purpose. Long before one piece of fruit was ever harvested, those trees were planted.
I’ve thought often about our day in the orchard and have come to a simple but difficult conclusion. As a Jesus-follower, I have only two choices. The thing is, I’m free to choose. That’s the wonderful thing about being IN Christ Jesus. Before Jesus, I had only one choice…fruit of the flesh. Jesus-followers can choose Spirit fruit!
I can plant from the Spirit or I can plant from the flesh. Planting from the flesh will yield a very different harvest than planting from the Spirit. So I’m asking myself some tough questions.
What do I want to harvest in my own life? Spirit fruit or flesh fruit? Seems like a no-brainer, right?
But…
Am I intentionally planting what I want to harvest?
Am I even aware of what I spend my days planting in my life and the lives of others?
Am I seeking Holy Spirit’s help?
Or…
Am I careless about what I plant?
Do I let my circumstances, feelings, or personal desires dictate my choices?
Am I forgetting I have the freedom to choose what is good and right in everything?
Either way…
I will harvest what I plant.
Sound hopeless? It’s not! Our God is full of mercy and forgiveness. The sooner we come to Him, the quicker He can do something about what we’ve planted. We must listen to Holy Spirit when He shows us what we’ve planted. And we must be willing to agree with Him and quickly apply 1st John 1:9.
The forgiveness is instant, the cleansing process begins, but…
The consequences aren’t always erased. But wait!
Don’t be discouraged! I’ve experienced the truth of Romans 8:28-29 (more times than I’d care to admit). God really does cause all things to work for good. Why? He’s helping us become more and more like His Son. Who’s that? Jesus!
He causes our wrong choices to help us make right choices in the future. And no worries, He’ll give you another chance to plant something from the Spirit into those places where you’ve planted from your flesh. It may take longer than you’d like, but you will see good fruit.
We’ll talk more about planting and time next week.
Between Then and Now…
1 Read your Bible. Maybe choose a different translation and re-read a book you’ve already read. Be sure to ask Holy Spirit to help you understand and apply what you read.
2 Exercise. Get outdoors for at least a little bit every day. Be intentional about seeing what’s been planted and look for the beauty and benefit of what’s growing.
3 Pray. Ask Holy Spirit to help you pause and pray so you will see His choice BEFORE you plant.
LORD, thank You for giving us the freedom to choose what we will plant. Thank You for giving Holy Spirit to us as our Helper. Please teach us to hear Him when He speaks to us. We want to use our freedom for good and not for evil. Teach us to use our lives to plant the life-giving fruit of Holy Spirit. Amen.
Digging Deeper:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:28-29 (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.