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As we are learning more about how we can all participate in our endeavor to Advance the Harvest, I recently came across an interesting article that provides unique perspective on this topic.
“The harvest will come. It will come at the proper time, a time determined not by the seasons or the weather, but by the will of God. Whether it comes during this life or when Christ comes again (cf. 1 Tim. 6:15), the harvest will come in God’s own good time. In due season, those who do good will reap their reward. Jesus says, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done” (Rev. 22:12).
Until the harvest comes, we must keep sowing. A good example of what it means to sow and then to wait for the reaping comes from the conversion of a man named Luke Short at the ripe old age of 103. Short was sitting under a hedge when he happened to remember a sermon he had once heard preached by the famous Puritan John Flavel (d. 1691). As he recalled the sermon, he asked God right then and there to forgive his sins through Jesus Christ. Short lived for three more years, and when he died, this inscription was put on his tombstone: “Here lies a babe in grace, aged three years, who died according to nature, aged 106.”
But here is the remarkable part of the story: The sermon Short remembered had been preached by Flavel back in England eighty-five years before! Nearly a century had passed between the sermon and the conversion, between the sowing and the reaping. But a man reaps what he sows, and at the proper time Flavel reaped his harvest.
This is a reminder not to evaluate ministry on the basis of immediate results. Too many churches, especially in America, want to taste the fruits of their labours the day they are planted. Yet most spiritual produce takes time to grow. A long time. Often it takes years before parents, teachers, or ministers are able to see their work pay off. “Be patient, therefore, brothers,” wrote the apostle James, “until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand”” (James 5:7-8).
—Philip Ryken, Commentary on Galatians
As we consider our own part in “Advancing the Harvest”, I hope you will be encouraged by the promise of God’s word that no work done for the Lord and in His power will ever be in vain. Please continue to pray about your participation in this campaign and be certain to be a part of the “Advance the Harvest” Banquet which will take place on Sunday, November 5. We will enjoy a great meal together and we will be inspired to be a part of the great mission to which God has called our church! A hostess will contact you soon for your reservation, or you can contact our office to let us know you will be in attendance.
Advancing the Harvest,
Jason