At His Feet

June 30, 2017: Harvest

John 4:35-38
"You know the saying, 'Four months between planting and harvest.' But I say, wake up and look around. The field are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvesters alike! You know the saying, 'One plants and another harvests.' And it's true. I sent you to harvest where you did't plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest."

We are harvesters, meaning we gather the grain and fruit that grows on the owners land. The fruit, Jesus said, are people brought to eternal life and the land/world belongs to God. We are here on this world to harvest: to point the way to Jesus and bring them to eternal life that is found in Christ. It is hard for me to understand who the planter are but I would say that the planter is God. He plants seeds in people through various things: He can use people, even a random stranger that we never met before, and he can use other things like a radio program, a TV channel, and especially the bible! 

Quick story: I grew up in a family who went to church and followed the traditions. My dad was part of the band in the church and my mom was a singer. We weren't perfect and if anything, we were broken because my family tried to follow God in our own strength instead of listening to God and sitting at His feet. I grew up hating church and making fun of the people. I grew up angry and after my fall parents fall out: I spent all my high school years refusing to go to church. My dad stopped going so I stopped going: we stopped praying and our hearts grew very cold. I became depressed and at one point even attempted suicide. 

I am not telling this story for sympathy or for words that will bring me glory or whatever it is called. I know I am loved and God is the one that showed me that. I am telling this story in a nut shell because when I look back, I see that God planted a seed in my life at a very young age. It was a seed that I didn't realize was there until after high school. 

You see, there was this one time when I was little and before my parents divorced. I never listened to the sermon so I don't even know why I went up to the alter but I remember being on my knees and trying to talk to God, trying to pray. I didn't know what to say really so I started in the most awkward way I know "Hi God," the rest was a blur, just nervous babble I believe but then something happened. My heart felt weird and my shoulders began to shake and when I realized why, big fat tears poured down my face. I didn't know why I was crying...I had nothing to cry about but something pressed my heart and I could do nothing but cry like a big baby.

I believe that was a seed and even though I always played around in church and didn't like it, the messages that I thought I ignored actually came back to my mind once I answered God's call. The stories, the messages in the sermons, it all started to come back once God opened my eyes to the very truth that I needed Him in my life. He also used two powerful women in my life to pray for me and intercede for me: My mom and my grandma. 

God was the planter and the people were the harvesters. God sends us to places and people and we sometimes never understand why but in those moments, God uses us to plant a seed in someone else or harvest where the seeds were already planted. Keep in mind, I am not a theologian: I am still growing and trying to understand myself but I pray that the things I write, God uses it to harvest and that what I write is from God and not me. 

Please read the bible, read this scripture and study it. 

Father God,

Thank You for this morning where I could sit at your feet and read Your words which gives us life and write this devotion where it could speak to at least one soul out there. God, I pray that you will touch somebody out there who needs to read this or who needs words of encouragement. I pray that the words are from You and not me because truth be told Father: I fear of twisting Your words. You words gives life and plants seeds in us and I do not want to mess that up. God, thank You for trusting someone so small and too meek with harvesting and God, give me the strength to do despite the fear that wells up in me. Let me do it in Your strength and Your power, In Jesus Christ mightiest and Holiest name, amen!

-Candy