Four Truths About Harvest
1 Kings 21:1-4
The above picture is a small sampling of what God is doing among us at Link Church. It is a visual symbol of the harvest, of changed lives, and of stories that God is still in the process of writing. While the concept of “harvest” is primarily applied to the lost being saved in the New Testament, it can also serve as an image of the fuller work that God is doing among His people.
This month, Pastor David is preaching about the harvest we are looking for. That harvest may include our families getting saved, personal blessings, or a variety of other things. He shares, “One thing we must realize is that harvest doesn’t just happen. Take a moment and try to imagine a potato patch into existence. It didn’t work, did it? Potato patches don’t just appear. Harvest doesn’t just happen. Someone has to till the ground, plant the seed, fertilize it, and pull the weeds. A good harvest requires work.” It is the same way in our walk with God. We cannot expect a harvest when we do not expend any effort. The gift of salvation is free. However, to reap some of the benefits that are available as followers of Christ, we will have to pray, study the Word, and choose to apply what we learn. I must choose to position myself for a future harvest.
In the message preached at Link Church on November 12, 2023, Pastor David draws analogies about the harvest from the story of Ahab’s brutal siege of Naboth’s vineyard in 1 Kings 21. In this story, Ahab is moved by the beauty of Naboth’s vineyard, but the wickedness of his heart moves him to seize it for himself rather than rejoicing for Naboth. In this message, Pastor David shares four truths about harvest that are drawn from this tragic account. As you read, consider how these truths may apply in your own life.
Truth #1: If You Want to See the Harvest in Your Life, You Cannot Buy It, Trade for It, or Have It Handed to You. It Will Require Something from You Personally.
And after this Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, “Give me your vineyard, so that I can have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house, and I will give you a better vineyard for it, or if you prefer, I will give you its worth in money.” -1 Kings 21:2
Ahab wanted what Naboth had. He saw the beauty that Naboth and his family had produced, but rather than creating something of comparable beauty himself, he wanted what belonged to Naboth. Naboth’s vineyard was near Ahab’s palace, so Ahab sat around daydreaming about how amazing it would be if it belonged to him. Tragically, he overlooked a vital truth…it was not his.
God desires to produce fruit in every individual’s life. Through Jesus Christ, we all have access to God’s blessings, God’s fruit, and God’s gifts. The Lord desires to grant each person a lavish harvest of these and so much more. However, one of Christ’s many lessons illustrates an important truth in this regard. He instructed us to pray, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). The command to pray for the manifestation of God’s kingdom and His will on earth lets us know that it does not happen automatically. God, in His divine grace and wisdom, has invited humans to participate in His plan. If you want to experience God’s fullest blessings in your life, it will not come through a purchase, a trade, or a gift from someone else. You need to consciously choose to live in full submission to Christ and allow His will and His purpose to be fully manifested in your life.
It’s easy to look at someone else’s blessings and want them automatically transferred into your own life, but that’s not how it works. Like any other relationship, a relationship with God is cultivated over time. It requires energy and intentionality. The free gift of salvation can be experienced in a moment, but the possibilities that are resident within our relationship with God may require a lifetime of discovery. We must commit to the process and refuse to seek shortcuts.
I recently read a testimony that powerfully illustrates this truth. You can read the fuller testimony here, but here is an excerpt from Jayme Brice’s story:
I got this strong pull from God, “Find a church for your family Jayme!” My Aunt Karen had even said, “GET THOSE KIDS IN CHURCH!” I began looking at all of their social medias and watching their live services. I got to The Link and Pastor David was pacing the stage. I couldn’t even focus on what he was saying because he was just pacing. I said no that isn’t it; my ADD is all over the place! But then Elijah went with a friend and her family shortly after that and came home so excited! Begging us to come with him! So, we did! Well, let me tell you, The Link has changed our lives. It turns out I actually love Pastor David’s pacing. Gosh he can preach!! We were told by several members, “give us three Sundays and you’ll be hooked!” I think I was honestly hooked the first Sunday. Jay and I are now on the altar team. We have gotten to help lead people to Jesus, and there is no greater feeling than that.
We are both on the serve teams, and I recently was asked to be on the social media team. The genuine love that all of the staff, pastors, and members have for all people from all walks of life is noticed by all. There is a difference when you walk in this church. You just feel the love of Jesus EVERYWHERE! THANK YOU CHURCH FAMILY!
Two weeks ago, I was doing my Bible study and I just hit my knees. I gave everything in me, ALL OF IT to HIM! All of my past and future to Him! All of my anger and anxiety! I told Him from this day forward I will put you first. I will serve you. HE SAVED MY LIFE! I then felt in my heart that I owed it to Him and myself to publicity be baptized again! Gosh did HE show up yesterday!!! 42 other church family members were baptized with me, along with my precious husband and our oldest daughter. WHAT A BLESSING!
Truth #2: Someone Before You Paid a Price So That You Can Have What You Have
Naboth said to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers.” -1 Kings 21:3
Naboth understood that giving away his vineyard was not only unwise, but it would also be an insult to the generations before him that labored so that it could be his. While it’s true that our harvest is not automatic, it is also true that we are not in this alone. Others before us have labored, and we are blessed to receive the benefits of their labor as well as our own.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ, we become part of something so much bigger than ourselves. While the concept of harvest can apply to many personal blessings, Jesus Christ Himself used the word to refer to the abundance of souls that His followers can help bring into His Kingdom. There is no substitute for our personal investment. However, as followers of Christ, we are also not starting at ground zero. Jesus said it like this in John 4:35-38:
35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen! I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest. 36 He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit that leads to eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this is the saying true, ‘One sows, and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap a crop for which you did not labor. And you have benefited from their labor.”
If we will stop longing for what does not belong to us, we will find that God has invited us to participate in something that is far bigger than what we could ever produce on our own. Others before us have paid a price, and now we have a job to do also!
When I think about Pastor David’s words, “Someone before you paid a price so that you can have what you have,” I cannot help but think about Granny Joyce Walker, the matriarch of Link Church. Her example of faith and faithfulness serve as a constant reminder to our church family of the spiritual giants that paved the way before us. She recently shared the following reflection:
In March of 1977, I went to a local eye Doctor in Clarksville, AR who sent me to a eye specialist in Russellville. At the appointment with the specialist he told me I had Retinitis Pigmentosa and I would go blind. I looked at him and said “not me I will not go blind I have people praying for me.” The Doctor then said if you don’t go blind you will be the first person to not go blind with this disease. By the help of Jesus, God, the Holy Spirt and many prayers it has been 43 years since the date I was told I would become blind. I can still see, I can still do my own house work, I still cook, I am still faithful to my church every time the door opens, I am still able to read my large print bible, I live a great life. The Doctor who treated me told me it was not him who done the miracle, I told him I know it was God. I wanna say Thank You to my family, my Fernwood Assembly of God Church family, and my Pastor for all they do for me. They have gone far and beyond. Jesus is coming soon may we all be ready to meet him. Everything is perfect in Heaven there is peace in the time of trouble. Philippians 3:13-14 says, “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press towards the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Truth #3: When God Starts Giving You a Harvest, Someone Will Get Jealous
Ahab returned home angry and depressed because of the answer Naboth the Jezreelite had given him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” He lay down on his bed and sulked and would not eat any bread. -1 Kings 21:4
Tragically, this is often true today as well. When God brings promotion in your life, there will be people who want what you have without walking where you’ve walked. It seems absurd that others would be jealous of your spiritual blessings when they could personally receive the same things, but it happens. Even among followers of Christ, there is a tragic tendency to divide ourselves into camps and boast of what we have while secretly envying what others have.
The Apostle Paul rebuked believers in his own day for this exact tendency. In 1 Corinthians 3:3-9, we read:
for you are still worldly. Since there is envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not worldly and behaving as mere men? 4 For while one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not worldly?
5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. 7 So then neither is he who plants nor he who waters anything, but God who gives the increase. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are laborers together with God: You are God’s vineyard; you are God’s building.
Jealousy is foolish, because God is the one who gives the increase. God is the one who gives the harvest. We cannot allow ourselves to me moved by the jealousy of others. Rather, we must choose stay laser focused on what God has given us to do and on who He has called us to be. We are not called to compare ourselves to others. As Paul said, we are laborers together with God. Those who allow themselves to be consumed by jealousy are participating in the wickedness of Ahab. May God deliver us from such foolish envy!
Truth #4: While You’re Making Plans to Reap a Harvest, the Enemy is Making Plans to Take Your Harvest
5 But Jezebel his wife came to him and said, “Why is your spirit so sad that you refuse to eat bread?” 6 And he said to her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, ‘Give me your vineyard for money; or else, if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard for it.’ And he answered, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’ ” 7 Jezebel his wife said to him, “Are you not the governor of the kingdom of Israel? Get up and eat bread, and let your heart be happy, for I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.” -1 Kings 21:5-7
We may not like it, but we also must not ignore the reality that we have a very real enemy that desires to steal the harvest that God is giving us. The Bible cautions us,
Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him firmly in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. -1 Peter 5:8-9
We must firmly resist the enemy through faith in Christ. We must not allow the reality of satanic attack to deter us from God’s plan for our lives. There may be moments when, like Naboth, we realize that the wicked one is plotting to destroy us. Nonetheless, we have received a tremendous promise in the Scripture,
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. -1 John 4:4
As we follow Christ, it is vital that we fortify the blessings He gives us against the attacks of the enemy. While God works to strengthen our relationships, bless our families, and clothe us with all heavenly blessings, the devil desires to devour and destroy. We shouldn’t fear the devil, but there is power in awareness. The Apostle Paul writes, “…For we are not ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians 2:11).
In this life, God allows us to experience numerous natural blessings. For that, we should always be thankful. At the same time, we must not forget that our ultimate harvest is spiritual and eternal in nature. I love how the Apostle Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27,
24 Do you not know that all those who run in a race run, but one receives the prize? So run, that you may obtain it. 25 Everyone who strives for the prize exercises self-control in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one. 26 So, therefore, I run, not with uncertainty. So, I fight, not as one who beats the air. 27 But I bring and keep my body under subjection, lest when preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Pastor David’s words of caution are vital. “While you’re making plans to reap a harvest, the enemy is making plans to take your harvest.” What should we do about this? One important word of counsel given in this Sunday morning’s message is that we must be disciplined enough to hold onto what God has given us. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we don’t want to be disqualified after preaching to others. Discipline is vital if we are to value and preserve the harvest.
What about you? What is God doing in your life, and what steps can you take to make sure the harvest isn’t wasted?