By Doug Creamer
With the arrival of the really cold air, the gardening season has come to a close. I had already cleaned out most of my vegetable garden before the cold arrived, but I had left a few things that were still growing. So before the cold hit, I harvested some butter beans, a cucumber, some raspberries, and some green cherry tomatoes.
It was a real treat getting the November harvest. The deer have been trying to take my harvest from me, but a plastic fence has kept them away. My neighbor said he saw a dozen deer in his front yard the other night. Those rascals have been foraging through this area.
The devil’s job is to find ways to keep us from getting a spiritual harvest. Like the deer, he will devour us with discouragement, disappointment, becoming offended, and distractions. He will do anything to keep you from producing fruit in your life. One tool is to convince us that we are too old or too young to be any good in God’s Kingdom.
One of the ways that we can fight back is through the power of prayer. Our prayers are having an impact that we can’t see. When we add faith to our prayers, the impact far surpasses anything we can imagine. Prayer always precedes a harvest.
Another example that comes to mind relates to my former pastor. He contacted me a while back and said he was working on a book and wanted some advice. We met and talked about the process several times. He sent me a few chapters along the way and I provided some feedback. He contacted me recently and said he was ready to get the book published. I have worked with him to get it ready to go to Amazon. Since I have been through the process, he was relying on my help to get it done.
What is amazing to me is that this former pastor, who is older than me…I won’t say how much lest I get myself in serious trouble…is still working hard to have a positive impact on the body of Christ. He is retired and should be enjoying long walks on the beach and other things he enjoys, yet he is still working for the Kingdom. He is still looking for a harvest in his golden years. He hasn’t given up and won’t give up until he arrives at heaven’s door.
God wants a harvest out of our lives. It’s not a suggestion, it doesn’t matter how we feel, it doesn’t depend on whether it is convenient or not, it is an expectation. He is looking under our leaves to see if we are producing fruit for His kingdom. He has left us here to have an impact on the world around us. We are here to carry His essence, His presence, to a lost and hurting world.
The question becomes, what can I do to produce a harvest for His kingdom? It doesn’t matter if you are twelve or one hundred, God can still use you and your testimony about Him to help others. The older you are, the more stories you have of how God has seen you through the difficult circumstances of life. The younger you are, the more energy, enthusiasm, and passion you can bring to your walk with God.
It is God’s heart that every person comes to know Him. He needs people to do that work. He will use each of us uniquely to reach people in our sphere of influence. People are watching us to see if Jesus makes a difference in our lives. If they can see evidence of the power of God working in our lives, they will want it. It’s our job to shine like beacons for those living in darkness. We have the hope and the joy that they need. We have the answer to the problems that they face. God is watching to see if we will give Him away thereby producing fruit for His Kingdom.
I want to encourage you not to give up on producing fruit for His Kingdom. Don’t stop praying for loved ones, friends, co-workers, neighbors, and people you run into on a daily basis. People need the Lord, and many are just waiting on you and me to invite them into a personal relationship with a loving Heavenly Father. You don’t have to have special skills or be a specific age, just make yourself available to the leading of His Spirit within you. God is looking for a harvest. Let’s be ready every day to share our love for Him.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
