In the Fall we think about harvest time for the farmers who have worked so hard during the year to give us food. In the natural we understand about planting, watering, weeding, and harvesting the crops from the fields. According to the Bible, everything begins with a seed. There is a time to plant, a time for growth, and a time to harvest for every seed. (Ecclesiastes 3:2) The seeds I want to talk about today are the seeds we plant through the decisions we make. Every seed (or decision) has a harvest (or consequence). It matters not whether that seed is negative or positive, evil or righteous, the principle of seed, time, and harvest applies. Our decisions reveal the condition of our heart.

Galatians 6:7 explicitly states, “be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (ESV) What we sow in our lives eventually comes back to us. Friendship for friendship. Kindness for kindness. Mercy for mercy. Forgiveness for forgiveness.

Genesis 1:11-12 teaches that every seed yields fruit after its kind, or of itself. In others word, we will not get oranges from an apple tree; or apples from an oak tree. The same is true with the seeds we sow in our everyday life. If we want to avoid anger, the Bible tells us in Proverbs 15:1 to speak softly and gently. When we speak with a softness in our voice, it’s like planting seeds to receive soft words spoken to us.

Romans 12:10 speaks of showing honor in preferring one another with brotherly love. Giving someone honor is showing them respect. Preferring another is to give them attention in what they are saying, and not always wanting to voice our opinion. Brotherly love denotes how we are to show the love of God to others. Whatever we plant we will receive the same in our life. Luke 6:31 instructs us to treat others as we want to be treated.

Luke 6:38 continues to say, “give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto you. For with the same measure that you give it shall be measured to you again.” It is quite clear to me that whatever I would like to receive, I need to plant that seed!

How we feel and see ourselves is exactly how we tend to see others. If we tend to be judgmental, we then tend to think others are that way too. If we look for the good in others, then we think that others do the same. If we feel rejected, we tend to reject others. We tend to treat others as we view ourselves. If we view and know that God loves us, then most likely, we will also view and treat others with God’s love.

Jesus told us in John 13:34 that we are to love others as He loves us. I think of it this way: He planted His seed of love in us, and we water it by reading His Word and praying; and by His Word we pull up the weeds of sin, wrong motives and wrong thinking, etc., and then we reap the harvest of being set free from the bondage of the devil. And because of our love for Jesus, we minister the Word of God to others so they too can be set free.

I encourage you to give yourself a “check-up” on what seeds you are planting. If you think you are not receiving good harvests, then replace the type of seeds you are using and plant the Word of God in your heart which positions you to receive good harvest. I encourage you to keep your faith looking for ways to be a blessing (planting seeds) and then be aware of when that blessing (harvest) returns to you. God is faithful in performing His Word in our lives.