Prayer – Lord – I see the wheat field are ripe for
harvest. You have plans…one person plants and another harvests. There is joy
when a sinner repents and comes to You.
Then he (Jesu) told them a story: "A rich man
had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, 'What should I
do? I don't have room for all my crops.' Then he said, 'I know! I'll tear down
my barns and build bigger ones. Then I'll have room enough to store all my
wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and say to myself, "My friend,
you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink,
and be merry!"' "But God said to him, 'You fool! You will die this
very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?' "Yes, a person
is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with
God." Luke 12:16-21
Silos of wheat in Washington State
Meditate. Consider God’s guidance in scripture as you read
God’s word and listen to what He is saying.
Recently my husband and I along with our son and his
family traveled part way across this great United States of America. We saw
fields ripe and ready for harvest…and some that had already been harvested. It
remined me of the parable that Jesus taught about the farmer who built bigger
barns for his crop…only to be noted as a fool since he died that night.
The amber waves of grain providing a bounty of our
nation wheat crop doesn’t seem to be as great as it once was. Maybe it just
looks that way since the wheat stalks have been genetically manipulated to be
shorter—makes a need for less water during their growing season, less time
harvesting the shorter stalks, and less waste. Less waving of the grain in the
fields. Farmers are still building “bigger barns” or at least bigger silos in
which to store their bountiful crops. Shiny new silos. (I wished I’d taken some
photos of those new silos—but I was driving!) What will the Lord require of those
farmers? How is their relationship with their Creator? How is your relationship
with God? Is He your Lord and Savior? That is who He wants to be to each of us.
Here’s what is required of as recorded in the Old Testament book of Micah.
What can we bring to
the LORD? What kind of offerings should we give him? Should we bow before God
with offerings of yearling calves? Should we offer him thousands of rams and
ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to
pay for our sins? No, O people, the LORD has told you what is good, and this is
what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly
with your God. Micah 6:6-8
Jesus Himself had a discussion about the harvest with His disciples
after speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.
Then Jesus
explained: "My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me,
and from finishing his work. You know the saying, 'Four months between planting
and harvest.' But I say, wake up and look around. The fields 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
harvester alike! You know the saying, 'One plants and another harvests.' And
it's true. I sent you to harvest where you didn't plant; others had already
done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest." John
4:34-38
He was speaking about a spiritual harvest—harvesting souls.
Is your soul counted in that harvest? Count it all joy.
Verses of Salvation ~ (The prophet Jeremiah weeping for
sinful Judah.)
My grief is beyond healing; my heart is broken. Listen
to the weeping of my people; it can be heard all across the land. "Has the
LORD abandoned Jerusalem?" the people ask. "Is her King no longer
there?" "Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols
and their worthless foreign gods?" says the LORD. "The harvest is
finished, and the summer is gone," the people cry, "yet we are not
saved!" I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with
grief. Is there no medicine in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why is
there no healing for the wounds of my people? Jeremiah 8:18-22
Memory Verse of the Week ~ The LORD is my light and
my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me
from danger, so why should I tremble? Psalm 27:1
Friday’s Feast at the King’s Table
Use freshly harvested wheat. Rinse the grain and let it dry
on a tea towel, if it is right from the combine.
Grind up some fresh grain and use it to
make a loaf of bread.
Soak the kernels of grain overnight and cook
it for about twenty minutes or until soft for a breakfast treat. My Dad used to
cook some up in the evening, placing it in a 9x9 pan overnight. Then he would slice
and fry it in the morning like fried mush. Great with fresh strawberries or a
little maple syrup.
© 2022 Text, photos, and illustrations by Mickey M. Hunacek. All
rights reserved.
All scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless
otherwise noted.
New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale
House Foundation.
Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream,
Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Biblical search from Blue Letter Bible - http://v3.blueletterbible.org/search.cfm.
Books by Mickey M.
Hunacek
Available as e-books or paperbacks at Amazon.com
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