Harvest Time

In our front garden, which much to the amazement of the neighbours my husband has turned into a veritable allotment, it has been a time of harvest.  When we came to this bungalow three years ago, the front was an open space with a low wall and patchy grass, but gradually every inch of the available space has been filled with crops to feed us and to give to friends and family.

There has been a succession of goodies; peas, beans, cabbages, pak choi, cauliflower, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, to name just a few. Each of these has come from a seed, often so small it is hard to see it, but when it is sown in good ground, watered, and tended diligently, it yields a wonderful crop for us to enjoy.

It’s tempting to feel a certain amount of pride in what we have grown, but it is misplaced, because in reality God created each seed, He planned for it to germinate, and it is His perfect design that brings the leaves or fruit that we hope for.

One crop has especially spoken to me of God’s generous provision. We planted some sweet corn kernels in spring and from each one a plant developed, reaching six or seven feet tall, with a thick bamboo-like stem. And each plant grew several cobs of juicy sweetcorn. They were delicious! Somehow, the beauty of the cob, and this obvious multiplication of the original kernel, spoke to me of God’s desire for us to grow in fruitfulness.

God freely gives us a seed, the seed of His righteousness on the first day that we accept Jesus as our Saviour and Lord. But He expects us to tend that seed, so that the fruit, the God-intended multiplication, will become evident in our life. It will show in what we do, what we say, and how we live our life. God expects a harvest of righteousness.

So, the question is, ‘Are you like a sweetcorn cob?’ Is there the multiplication that God intended growing in your life?