HERE we have a picture of the harvesters about ready to return home. Do you little readers know what harvesters are? Have you heard of harvest time? It is the time in the summer or fall when the hay, grain and corn are ready to be reaped and gathered in. Gathering it in is called harvesting. And the people who reap and gather it in are called harvesters.
Farmers always like to have a big harvest, for that means money to them—money with which to buy food, clothes, and other comforts.
The Bible tells us of another kind of sowing and reaping. (Gal. 6:7, 8, 97Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. (Galatians 6:7‑9).) “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
What are the seeds we sow when we sow to the flesh? Perhaps some of you will say, “Naughty things we do.” Yes, anything naughty we think, say, or do; anything unkind or selfish; anything we do to please ourselves. When we sow seeds of this kind they will not grow into anything good or beautiful. They are bad seeds. And we should not want to sow such seeds any more than the farmer wants to plant seeds that will grow up into thorns and thistles and troublesome weeds in his field. We know he does not want these.
What do you think sowing to the Spirit is? “Sowing good seed,” you say. Yes. Whenever we do anything for the Lord—when we seek to help others and
do them good for the Lord’s sake, we are sowing to the Spirit and we shall reap good and blessing to our souls.
May everyone who reads “MESSAGES OF LOVE” be happy, like the harvesters in the picture, because he is reaping a good harvest. If any of you are sowing to the flesh, stop and think of the corruption—the sorrow and trouble you must reap. How much better to reap “Life everlasting” and to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit.
“THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONQSUFFERING, GENTLENESS, GOODNESS, FAITH, MEEKNESS, TEMPERANCE.” (Gal. 5:22, 2322But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22‑23).)
ML 08/18/1912