When Paul was Saul he thought he knew it all... that rhymes!
Yeah, I know, silly title. I couldn't think of a specific title for this because this entire chapter of Galatians covers just about everything. The apostle Paul just had a way of summing up the whole purpose of Christian life in a few sentences, didn't he? The one common thread in this particular reading, however, is the use of the analogy of seeds and planting and harvest. Much used in scripture, but in this chapter of Galatians it just seems to be the clearest vision of the metaphor.
Think of the reality of planting a seed. You place it in the ground and just expect it to grow. Who chooses which seeds become fully grown plants though? A botanist would give you all of the scientific variables involved to come to some sort of conclusion, but just as in the moment of conception in humans, science cannot identify beyond a shadow of a doubt just how life occurs. It doesn't take a huge leap of faith to understand that there is something supernatural going on in the creation of life, be it plant, animal, or entire galaxies. God is involved in the places where we can't see what is going on. It's obvious.
The same is true of the application of the "seed and harvest" metaphor in our day to day lives. Whatever we do, we MUST begin by involving God in every aspect of our lives. Nothing changes for us as far as how much work we must do, on the contrary, it can actually mean more labour. The difference is, when God is allowed to work supernaturally on the seeds we plant in our lives they are destined to become something more than even we could imagine. Sometimes a seed we plant doesn't go anywhere, and sometimes the purpose that we imagine for a seed gets altered by God for a different purpose that we didn't want or perceive of it. Our job is to just keep planting those seeds, be patient, and allow God to do the supernatural things that we can't possibly understand. If it's meant to be, it will happen, just not necessarily the way we imagined it at times. The key is to persevere and keep faith in God to take the seeds we plant and create something that will reap a bountiful harvest in this world. Just remember that the seed was never yours to begin with, it was God's before you even perceived it. Don't make claims on the harvest, just SHARE in it.
Praise God.
Think of the reality of planting a seed. You place it in the ground and just expect it to grow. Who chooses which seeds become fully grown plants though? A botanist would give you all of the scientific variables involved to come to some sort of conclusion, but just as in the moment of conception in humans, science cannot identify beyond a shadow of a doubt just how life occurs. It doesn't take a huge leap of faith to understand that there is something supernatural going on in the creation of life, be it plant, animal, or entire galaxies. God is involved in the places where we can't see what is going on. It's obvious.
The same is true of the application of the "seed and harvest" metaphor in our day to day lives. Whatever we do, we MUST begin by involving God in every aspect of our lives. Nothing changes for us as far as how much work we must do, on the contrary, it can actually mean more labour. The difference is, when God is allowed to work supernaturally on the seeds we plant in our lives they are destined to become something more than even we could imagine. Sometimes a seed we plant doesn't go anywhere, and sometimes the purpose that we imagine for a seed gets altered by God for a different purpose that we didn't want or perceive of it. Our job is to just keep planting those seeds, be patient, and allow God to do the supernatural things that we can't possibly understand. If it's meant to be, it will happen, just not necessarily the way we imagined it at times. The key is to persevere and keep faith in God to take the seeds we plant and create something that will reap a bountiful harvest in this world. Just remember that the seed was never yours to begin with, it was God's before you even perceived it. Don't make claims on the harvest, just SHARE in it.
Praise God.
