Harvest season is here. The Bible has a lot to say about harvesting, drawing many parallels between farming practices and spiritual truths. Today, I’m particularly mindful of how Jesus compared the kingdom of God to the way seeds grow.
“The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own” (Mark 4:26-28, NLT).
You see, when it comes to growing crops, the role of the farmer is to set the best conditions possible for the plants to thrive. Farmers are careful to plant at the right time, provide the best fertilizer, and monitor the soil. But even the best farmer can do nothing to “make” a crop grow; only God can do that through the laws of nature He has set in place.
We can apply this truth to our spiritual lives as well. Just as in farming, so much of our effectiveness is determined by what we expose ourselves to. Plants that are exposed to the right climate will thrive, but those exposed to unfavorable conditions will die. Our spiritual lives work much the same way. When we continually expose ourselves to God’s truth, we thrive; however, when we do not, we more easily fall into sin.
If we want to grow spiritually, we need to focus on setting the right conditions for our growth. This includes going to church, reading the Bible, praying, and interacting with other believers. When we are faithful to do these things, we’ll see God produce the fruit of the Spirit in and through us.
Reflections 