Devotionals for the Heart: A Spiritual Lesson Learned from farmers

Preparing for The Harvest
A devotional by Wade Webster

“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” – Matthew 13:23 (NIV)

I spent a day driving in Kansas recently. There's quite a variety of terrain there, contrary to what certain movies show. Yes, there's a lot of wheat grown there. In fact, it was being harvested while I drove down the interstates. I wondered how many seeds were planted compared to the amount being collected. Old farm boys think about such things.

I had to be in Hays that evening so I could deliver first thing in the morning. The sun set as I drove up I-135. The clouds to the west were a long ways off as best as I could tell. Their tops were all I could see at first against the fading dusk. The crescent moon ducked behind them for a time only to poke its head back out briefly.

As the sky grew dark I witnessed and interesting phenomenon. There was lightning in those clouds that didn't reach the ground. I've seen this before. It's what's known as an electrical storm. One of the interesting things about these storms is that they seldom make rain. All of that churning in the atmosphere causes sparks but has no benefit for anyone.

Thunderstorms have many blessings attached to them. Not only do they drop rain to water the vegetation but the lightning also puts nitrogen into the water to aid in making plants green. Not so with electrical storms. They make flashes of light for witnesses to see and that's it.

It makes me think about the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. Seeds fall to the ground in several different soils. Most of the results are abysmal at best. The good soil is mentioned last in the story to show the desired result.

The wheat fields being harvested had been prepared well by the farmers to attain the results they were achieving. Weeds had been removed to assure the plants weren't starved of the nutrients being offered in the soil that was fertilized and tilled properly. Experience and hard work were paying off. These farmers didn't just talk about what needed to be done. They did it.

That electrical storm was all show with no results. I hope you aren't like that. Too many folks are. They talk a good talk but don't walk a good walk. They don’t put in the effort to make the necessary changes to bring lasting results for God's kingdom.

Reading the Bible is a good start but you must apply what you're learning to let it transform you. Once you change to become more like Jesus Christ, then amazing things will happen. People will notice something different about you. They'll be attracted to your behavior and grace. They'll ask you what your secret is. That's when the fruit will be harvested.

I pray that you have not already, you will become like the bountiful wheat fields I saw instead of the storm that dropped no rain.

~*~
Author Bio:

Wade Webster is a farm boy turned city slicker, heathen turned born-again Christian, truck driver turned writer doing his best to point folks to his best friend, Jesus Christ.

He currently lives in Plano, Texas.

Wade is the author of 100 Prayers of a Writer, a book that didn't begin as a book, just weekly prayers to a group of writer friends.

He enjoys spending time in nature, running for exercise and dark chocolate, though not necessarily in that order. Apart from driving 18-wheelers for a living he has a part-time job painting houses on the side...and the front and back and inside.

As a teenager, he told his friends he never wanted to be considered normal. So far he's done a pretty good job of living up to that aspiration.