Joyful Harvest

It’s May already! Wow 2015 is really flying by fast.

A few weeks ago, I found myself battling with my thoughts and emotions.To make it worse, a few very annoying comments also came my way that week.

You know those days that you’re just finding it difficult to see the picture and all you can see is the mess staring you in the face? Yeah, it was one of those kinds of weeks.

I carried that attitude into God’s presence. Going into God’s presence itself felt like a chore. At it was like God said: Go ahead and rant.

Oh I didn’t need another invitation. I ranted, raved,whined about how I’ve served him, believed him and how despite it all,all I got for my faith was the ‘mess’ I could see. And to make it worse, some people could actually begin to make silly comments?

It’s not fair!

I was gearing up for the second part of the ranting session when one scripture dropped in my spirit that has silenced me since then (for the most part). Read with me:

‘They that sow in tears shall reap in joy’-Psalm 126:5

Listen, Every single thing you do is a seed. Every seed sown will germinate some kind of harvest whether thorns or food.

Any farmer knows that planting season is no fun. It is grueling hard work. It is usually full of sweat,but any farmer worth his salt does it. He goes through the hard planting season.

Why?

He knows the joy of the harvest-no matter how long it takes always outweighs the sweat and tears of the sowing season.

So he plants, he weeds and he waters.

He awaits and enjoys the joy of harvest.

Child of God who like me is in the planting season of life where it’s all sweat and tears, hang in there.

A tearful sowing season will give way to a joyful harvest.

Keep your eyes on the goal.A joyful harvest is up ahead.

I’m keeping my eyes of my Joyful Harvest Prize.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

STAY IN YOUR PLACE, DO YOUR PART

This month, I will be dwelling on lessons from Genesis 26- The story of Isaac. Today, I will look at one part of the story and I’ll share some of the lessons I have learnt.

The chapter starts by saying that there was a famine in the land, yet, God told Isaac to stay in that land and that He would bless him there.

In case you do not understand what a famine is, it means that the land was unfruitful; therefore the people in that land will not be able to feed. In times of famine, It’s usually a migrate or starve situation so it would have made sense for Isaac to move his family to a place where there was food. Yet, God told him to stay in Gerar where there was famine.

What has God told you to do that makes absolutely no human sense? What is going on around you that call for a plan B you can access but God says No?

I know it can be frustrating but stay where He says. He’ll bless you there.

Verse 12 of that chapter drops the bombshell, It says Isaac sowed seed in that land and in that same year reaped a hundred fold of what he had planted and the Lord blessed him.

Isaac sowed in a land that was termed ‘unprofitable’-I mean, there was famine in the land. I can imagine how much of ridicule he would have received for sowing in a land where there was famine but he sowed anyway.

What is God telling you to do that seems unprofitable or is earning you ridicule? What has God told you to do that men think and say is stupid?

Keep doing it. The Bible says Isaac sowed. He put in the effort, He tilled the soil. Even though he probably saw no future or hope of success, He sowed. He did what he needed to do to reap the harvest.

And the harvest came! In hundredfold, it came. Breaking every law of productivity and farming. The harvest came.

The harvest came because Isaac chose to obey God in staying when He was told to and sowing even when the land was unprofitable.

Stay where he says, do what He asks-no matter how silly it may sound. The harvest will come.

I commit to staying and doing in accordance to His will no matter how stupid it might look to the world.
Who’s with me?

Tobiloba

What You Sow, Not Where

Have you ever done something good and got nothing in return or worse, evil in return?

Has your good been repaid with evil so many times you’ve decided to stop trying?

Does it seem like your good seeds never reap a harvest from the soil you sow them into?

If you feel me, Read this: “God is not mocked, Whatever a man sows, he shall also reap”-Galatians 6:7

Someone showed me this a few years ago. Listen.

Notice that that verse uses the word ‘whatever’ not ‘where ever’

We make the mistake of thinking that the harvest will come from where we sow the seed because it seems logical, and we get discouraged when that does not happen.

The God of the harvest did not promise that you will reap ‘where’ you sow, he only promised to multiply what you sow.

Stop looking to the soil or the seed for harvest, start looking at the God of the harvest and you’ll find more than you bargained for.

Time for some gaze shifting.

Who’s with me?
Tobiloba

What Are You Sowing?

This post has been long overdue. Thanks to patchy internet connection and some laziness on my part, i did not get round to writing it till now.

A very short but insightful scripture brought to mind the beginning of  the year 2012. My pastor at the time tagged the year ‘The year of harvest’.  As a result, as often as possible that year, he said ‘All the seeds you have sown will germinate and you will reap the harvest this year’. At the sound of the thunderous ‘Amen’ the first time I heard him say that prayer, the Holy Spirit gave me pause with a very popular scripture that He dropped in my spirit.

Read with me: ‘God is not mocked, Whatever a man sows, he shall also reap-Gal 6:7

And the Holy Spirit led me  and a  few of my friends to do some serious soul searching. If God answered the prayer above based on ALL the seeds that I had sown up to that point, would I like the harvest?

The honest answer was a big No! So my friends and I who came to the same conclusion decided to pray ours a little differently. We asked God for mercy over our bad seed and ask Him to kill them and multiply our good seeds.

Today, I’m asking you the same question.If you were to reap from every seed you’ve sown, would you like all the harvest you’d get?

If you’re like me, back then and even now, the answer is still No! There are some seeds I’ve sown that I need God’s mercy to intervene over.

But the scripture is  clear-You will reap what you sow. so, what are you sowing today?

I consciously begin to sow good seeds from this day forward.

Who’s with me?

Tobiloba