Morning by Morning, September 19 - "Sow to the Spirit" for Good Harvest
Good morning, Lord Jesus. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit -- You are One and You are here with me. I worship You and welcome You into my thoughts, my desires, and my day, as I entrust them all to You, my Lord and my God. ...
"Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith" (Galatians 6:7).
As it turns out, how I spend my time, how I speak my words, how I invest my resources, how I live out the moments of my days that I have here on this side eternity have eternal consequences. I praise You for Your mercy and grace that I never have to earn or work for my salvation -- "for by grace (I) have been saved through faith, and this is not (my) doing; it is the gift of God, not the result of works, so that no one may boast;" but at the same time, "(I am) what He has made (me), created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be (my) way of life" (Ephesians 2:8-10).
Even our "good works" that follow and flow out of our salvation -- the very seed You give us to sow, as well as the desire and the power to sow it and grow it -- is all by Your grace, inspired and empowered by Your Spirit at work within us. "For it is God who is at work in (us), enabling (us) both to will and to work for His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:12). Even when I'm sowing the "good works" of prayer, it's by Your grace and the leading of Your Spirit. "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26-27).
Our part is to participate with You. Our part is offer ourselves as willing vessels for Your light to shine through us and Your love to flow through us. That's the good seed we sow and the good works we do, deliberately choosing to align ourselves with Your will to fulfill Your purposes prepared beforehand to be our way of life, to produce the good harvest of the good fruit that comes from Your grace flowing through our lives. You continue to speak to Your disciples and sowers of Your seeds of every generation: "Abide in Me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me.... Those who abide in Me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from Me you can do nothing.... My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become My disciples" (John 15:4-8).
Father God, in the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, give me grace today to "sow to the Spirit" and not "sow to (my) own flesh." Let Your priorities become my priorities, Your thoughts become my thoughts, Your desires become my desires. Let me see what You're doing and hear what You're saying so I can follow and participate in Your leading (Romans 8:14). I pray for Your good seed to produce a good harvest that pleases You this day, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays
My friend, I pray you the Holy Spirit inspires and empowers you to sow good seed that produces a good harvest that please our Father today, in Jesus' name. Please pray the same for me. God bless you, my friend!
Tommy Hays | Messiah Ministries
Healing from the Inside Out
Pastoral Director | Rapha God Ministries
4 Dominion Drive, Building 1
San Antonio, Texas 78257
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