May 24 – Sow and Reap

Deliver those who are being taken away to death, and those who are staggering to slaughter, oh hold them back. If you say, "See, we did not know this." Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work? Proverbs 24:11-12

 

You get what you deserve…be responsible, work hard and then you’ll reap what you sow. Actually, you may think that you "reap what you sow" in scriptural…but I don’t think that is written anywhere. Here are a couple of verses that talk about reaping and sowing:  

…for I was afraid of you, because you are an exacting man; you take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow. Luke 19:21

 

Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! Luke 12:24

There are several other verses in the Old and New Testament dealing with sowing and reaping. One that is good about reaping is:

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9 NLT

Being responsible for our actions isn’t so hard when we are doing good…so let’s not get tired of doing what is right—that which is good. Keep thinking… And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 NLT

 

Training Tip – Ask your children if they can grow watermelons from corn seeds, or tomatoes from apple seeds? We harvest what we plant. Plant some garden seeds with your children—something they like to eat, or that you would like them to learn to eat. Maybe as they “grow” the desired vegetable they’ll have the desire to eat it, too.

 

What kinds of “seeds” are you planting in your children’s lives? Harvest kindness from kindness, goodness from goodness, patience from patience, and integrity from integrity.

 

Lord Jesus, help my family and me to keep focused on that which is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, and things that are worthy of Your praise.

 

Friday’s Feast at the Lord’s Table

Sweet Iced Tea

Hot days of summer are here…or close at hand. Make sure you have plenty of refreshing iced tea on hand for your guests and yourself. One of my favorites is Earl Gray…and for warm summer evenings, a tall cool glass of herbal caffeine free Passion tea is rejuvenating.

 

Types of tea to use depends on individual tastes. Green tea, black tea, or herbal tea.

Specific brands of tea are also an individual taste, including popular brands in the United State:

Luzianne

            Lipton

            Tazo

            Bigelow

            Celestial Seasonings

            Stash   

            Teavana

            Mighty Tea

            Red Rose Tea 

            Tetley 

4 pitcher-size cold brew tea bags (or 8 tea bags or equivalent loose tea)

1 quart water, bring to boil then pour over tea bags. Steep about 20 minutes. Discard tea bags (compost). You can brew cold for several hours in the refridgerator or in a jar in the sunshine.

2 quarts cold water, add to brewed tea.

Add sugar syrup, stir and chill. Serve over ice. For additional flavor, add sliced fruit to ice cube trays before freezing ice.

Simple Sugar Syrup

1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

Bring water to boil and stir in sugar. Cool. For variety, add mashed fruit to simple syrup. If you like your tea less sweet, add less sugar, or try using ½ cup of honey.

Garnishes:

Lemon slices
Fresh mint sprigs

Sliced fruit – peaches, raspberries, strawberries

Fresh basil

Cucumber slices

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

© 2013 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.