Harvest of Righteousness
A devotional by Tammy Karasek
When I hear the word harvest, I immediately think of gathering something. Most assuredly, I see the farmers gathering up the fruits of their labor that are now ripe. Right now, near where I used to live in Ohio, farmers have been gathering their grain to store up for the winter to come.
When I read the following scripture, I had to stop and re-read it. It wasn’t saying what my normal thought of what a harvest would be.
“And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”
~James 3:18 (ESV)
A harvest of righteousness. This expression made me pause, wanting to understand it more clearly. I dug further, looking up the various definitions of both harvest and righteous and found this:
Harvest – to gain, win, acquire, or use; the result of an act.
Righteous – acting in an upright, moral way, virtuous.
Now as I read the Scripture (James 3:18), it meant something different. If I changed the wording a little (not changing the meaning), it taught me that we have a responsibility of harvesting righteousness.
Hear me out … A harvest (or gain, acquiring) of righteousness (by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way) is sown in peace by those who make peace.
This got me thinking about how we treat others. Do we act righteously? Do we try to make peace? Or are we quick to critique others, or even attack them for their differences? As we head into this holiday season, the hustle and bustle of this time of year can sometimes raise our stress levels. We can become impatient, critical or snarky . . . anyone relate?
If we want others to treat us well, we need to do the same. When we do our best to make peace, I believe more peace will be seen in our surroundings. In other words, if you want more peace, you can gather or harvest it by sowing peace to those you have an opportunity to be with.
Might I suggest that as we head into this wonderful time of the year, we all strive to be harvesters of righteousness? That we make (and keep) peace with those we encounter by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way each day. And yes, even with that cranky aunt you might get stuck sitting by at the Thanksgiving table this year!
Will you set out to be a harvester of righteousness with me?
~*~
Author Bio:
This got me thinking about how we treat others. Do we act righteously? Do we try to make peace? Or are we quick to critique others, or even attack them for their differences? As we head into this holiday season, the hustle and bustle of this time of year can sometimes raise our stress levels. We can become impatient, critical or snarky . . . anyone relate?
If we want others to treat us well, we need to do the same. When we do our best to make peace, I believe more peace will be seen in our surroundings. In other words, if you want more peace, you can gather or harvest it by sowing peace to those you have an opportunity to be with.
Might I suggest that as we head into this wonderful time of the year, we all strive to be harvesters of righteousness? That we make (and keep) peace with those we encounter by acting in an upright, moral or virtuous way each day. And yes, even with that cranky aunt you might get stuck sitting by at the Thanksgiving table this year!
Will you set out to be a harvester of righteousness with me?
~*~
Author Bio:
You’ll find Tammy seeing humor and causing laughter in every aspect of life. Her past, filled with bullying and criticism from family, is the driving force of her passion to always encourage others and give them The Reason to smile.
She’s been married to her college sweetheart, Larry, for 37 years, a mom to their grown daughter, Kristen and wrapped around the paw of a little dog named Hattie. Born and raised in Ohio, her family now resides in South Carolina.
She is the President of Word Weavers Upstate SC, member of ACFW and member of My Book Therapy/Novel Academy.
She’s the Blog Coordinator/Editor for Florida Christian Writers Conference, a contributor in the 2018 Divine Moments Compilation Book—Cool-inary Moments, a monthly contributor for HeartWingsblog.com and God is Love (capturingtheidea.blogspot.com).
~*~
Connect with Tammy:
Blog: http://www.tammykarasek.com
Email: tickledpinktammy@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.