And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. — Galatians 6:9-10
The Bible says in Hosea, “For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. The standing grain has no heads; it shall yield no flour; if it were to yield, strangers would devour it” (Hosea 8:7). Do nothing and you will harvest evil. You say, “I don’t want the evil. I want a good harvest!” I believe you. You gotta work for the good and you gotta wait for the good.
Read Galatians 6:9–10 above again. Don’t give up! One year without fertilizer and the dandelions are back; one month of neglect or callous indifference to my family, one week of stupidity in my finances, one week of irresponsibility at work, and weeds of trouble spring up. We only reap the good if we don’t give up. We only reap the good if we don’t give up.
Now I know some of you are in a hard place waiting on God for something in your marriage, in your family, or in your finances. And I do not say callously, “Persevere.” I say it lovingly. Let my faith join with yours. Keep on going. God will bless you. In due season you will reap a harvest of good if you do not give up. He will honor you for the good you are sowing.
There is nothing we can do about last year’s harvest, but we can change this year’s.
You may well be thinking, “Oh, James, I’ve got some really bad stuff already in the ground.” OK, well that’s the thing about farming, right? It’s seasonal! Last year, that’s already in the barn. You can’t change the past harvests, but you can start to make good choices now. You can use the rest of your life to be the person God wants you to be. And that can start for you, like, right now.
I believe this moment could be a turning point in your life, where you honestly come before God with repentance and a sincere turning. God will see that and energize your future with grace because of your humility and willingness to acknowledge, “Hey, I’ve planted some things I regret.” It always takes someone who’s willing to act. God will provide good seed.
Now read this: What does it mean to walk with God?
This post originally appeared on Dr. James MacDonald’s daily devotional Our Journey and was republished with permission.
James MacDonald (D. Min. Phoenix Seminary) is the founding senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, leads the church-planting ministry of Harvest Bible Fellowship, teaches the practical application of God’s Word on the Walk in the Word radio and television programs, and is a gifted author and speaker. You can find out more about James and his ministries at WalkintheWord.org.
