Prayer – Lord, life and death…that’s what our existence
is all about. But You are the hope of all who believe in You. I believe. Thank
you for all you’ve done…and will do for mankind.
So you see, just as death came into the world through
a man, now the resurrection from the dead has begun through another man. Just
as everyone dies because we all belong to Adam, everyone who belongs to Christ
will be given new life. But there is an order to this resurrection: Christ was
raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be
raised when he comes back. 1 Corinthians 15:21-23
Meditate. Life and Death.
Everyone dies. Life is simple that way. We’re born. We
live. We die. No one escapes death—ever since Adam and Eve partook of the
forbidden fruit in Eden. Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth gives us
hope—the hope of resurrection with Christ. …everyone who belongs to Christ
will be given new life…all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes
back. Up, up and away! What a glorious day that will be!
This is the “harvest” time of the year. Think of all the
fresh fruits and vegetables that you’ve recently gathered or purchased…and now
are enjoying. Jesus spoke about the harvest.
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! John 4:34-36
The Jewish custom is of three harvests. The first is given
to God—that tithe or ten percent. The second is the greatest—the general
harvest—providing for everyone. The third harvest is the gleaning. Think of the
book of Ruth, how she gleaned in Boaz’ fields. The landowners were instructed
to leave the corners of their fields for the poor or less fortunate.
"When you
harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of
your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor
and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God." Leviticus
23:22
 |
| He was seated on a white cloud... swinging His sickle. Are you ready for the harvest? |
God will call for the harvest. Will it be soon?
Then I saw a white
cloud, and seated on the cloud was someone like the Son of Man. He had a gold
crown on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came from
the Temple and shouted to the one sitting on the cloud, "Swing the sickle,
for the time of harvest has come; the crop on earth is ripe." So the one
sitting on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the whole earth was
harvested. Revelation 14:14-16
Will you be ready when the harvest begins…the call for the
resurrection of believers? Are you going to be raised in that harvest…do you
believe in Jesus as your Lord and Savior? Do you belong to Him?
Verses of Salvation ~ I pray that your love will
overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and
understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you
may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return. May you
always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character
produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise
to God. Philippians 1:9-11
© 2023 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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