Over the years, I have heard and even participated in expressing the thought that "you reap what you sow" in a negative way to persuade people to avoid sin.
Remember the consequences!
Yet that is a positive thought as well.
There are three verses in Proverbs 11 that address what has been called, "The Law of the Harvest (i.e. What you do comes back to you)."
• When you're kind to others, you benefit yourself (v. 17).
• When you give freely, you gain even more (v. 24).
• When you refresh others, you yourself are refreshed. (v. 25).
One author writes:
"Conversely, Proverbs says that cruelty leads to trouble, and stinginess leads to poverty.
There's no question that God wants to bless us; the Bible is full of such promises. But, first, God wants us to learn to give. That's the key to the Law of the Harvest: you give first, receive later.
Let's forget for a moment how this may or may not apply to our finances, and think about how it applies to other areas of life.
There is so much you can give to others. For example, you can give your family an uplifting start to each new day. Even if you wake up in a rotten mood, you can speak words of encouragement and thoughtfulness (or at least put a lid on your complaints), so that everyone else in the house has the chance to begin the day pleasantly. The same goes for your employees, staff, and everyone else that crosses your path.
Let's practice this kind of generosity. Regardless of the kind of day you're having, freely give a good day to everyone else. Offer encouragement. Share a compliment. Say what you have to say with gentleness. Give them hope. It won't just change the direction of your day, it will change the direction of your life.
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. (Proverbs 11:25)."
May we all seek to be kind and generous this day.
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The last shall be first and the first shall be last. You should be a servant to all in order to increase your promise in heaven. That's not just in deed but in all aspects of our life. If we look to serve others with our words and our deeds and our lives, then our promise and reward will be great indeed. But, should we only do this for the promise or for the reward? Jesus commands us (in summarizing the Ten Commandments) to: "Love the Lord thy God with all of your heart, and all of your mind, and all of your strength. And secondly, to love thy neighbor as thyself."
That's a short rendition of being a being of love. If you love people, you want to share a good word with them and you want them to have a good day and you want to make their life just a little bit easier to take. A good example of this is those people who have chosen to take up the yoke of Stephens Ministry. These people have made themselves servants to the cares and needs of others, seeking to make lives easier and spread joy and cheer to those going through trying times. True servants, true love, truly God's children!
I sing every morning...I don't know how many of you knew that (but my family sure does...and, yes, they sometimes ask me to stop! LOL) about me...so that I can remind myself of the wonders of God and of the great sacrifice He made for me. I celebrate the blessings of my life and review the hand of God in those blessings and in protecting me as I walked along His path...and even protecting me when I walked in the ditches instead of on the path. These are great and joyous things for me...that God loves me enough to care about my life and my happiness...and invariably, I can start my day with joy and with peace. That transcends to those I come in contact with and it is not unusual for even the grumpiest of persons to respond in laughter or mirth to something we've talked about.
Life is hard but God is able! Work is demanding but God is sufficient! The world is tempting but God is equal to the task of protecting us! God will never let us be overburdened beyond our capabilities...we just need to learn to trust Him to know our capabilities! That's where we fail sometimes, in not trusting the Lord of the Universe to know how strong or capable we are! If He knows the number of hairs on your head (and for me, His count must change daily!) then He surely knows your capabilities.
I saw a can holder (you know, one of those rubberized sleeves to hold a can of soda so your hand wouldn't get cold or wet) in the U.P. upon which these words were written, "God will never give me more than I can handle." On the back of the holder it said, "I just wish He didn't trust me so much!" I think that's what we as Christians say when we don't trust God...that we know He won't overload us but that we don't trust ourselves as much as He trusts us. But His knowledge is greater than ours and His joy in our obedience is great! So, serve the Lord with all you've got...praise Him with every word and deed...and make a joyful noise unto Him, from whom all blessings flow. Make a joyful noise with your family, with your co-workers, with your friends, with those you come in contact with...bottom line, revel in your life with/in Christ! You are redeemed and sanctified (holy) and blessed beyond all of your understanding.
God is good, all the time!
ALL THE TIME, GOD IS GOOD!
Embrace your joy in the Lord today!
Jon
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