Spring 1993

Fit for the Field
Jana McCann
Former Student

"Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then
cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up
your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are
white already to harvest" John 4:35.

It is harvest time! And this harvest will be the greatest we have seen if we will diligently "till" the field the Lord has given us.

Could you imagine seeds refusing the field in which they are to be planted? In Proverbs 31:16, a virtuous woman considers a field and buys it. We too must first count the cost to work in this field of the Lord's choosing.

Jesus did only those things which pleased His Father. To be like Him, we must both choose and remain in this field where He has planted us. Then He will be able to work into our lives all that is required for our part in His harvest.

According to Matthew 13:19, the seed is "the Word of the Kingdom of God" being sown in the human heart. By this we know we are to plant seeds, God's Word, in the hearts of His people. However, Deut 22:9 warns against sowing different kinds of seeds, so the fruit is defiled. This places a responsibility on each of us to know and plant only the pure Word of God in the hearts of His people.

Suppose our livelihood was solely dependent upon farming the land? The processes of plowing, sowing, weeding, and reaping would determine the harvest; and the storage of food for the winter would be the difference between life or death. If there was neglect, starvation would result. Life in the Spirit does indeed depend on our tending our field (heart) and the field (world) where God has placed us to sow seeds in the hearts of people.

"I went by the field of the slothful and by
the vineyard of the man void of understanding
and low it was all grown over with thorns and
nettles had covered the face thereof, and the
stone wall thereof was broken down, then I
saw and considered it well: I looked upon
it and received instruction" Prov 24:30-32.

Apparently this man either lacked or lost his vision. Perhaps he began to till the field and then gave up prematurely because he expected instant results. Or he may have despaired of clearing the land because of the abundance of stones in the field.

Consider the farmer who works more in his neighbor's field than in his own. Unless he has a very kind and generous neighbor, he will starve when Winter comes. Then there are those who call themselves farmers but are without a definite field. Their planting is sporadic and their concepts of farming are vague. They have not stayed in the same field long enough to both sow and reap. Neither have they prayed for rain, waited patiently for it, and experienced its refreshing when it came. As a result, they have not witnessed the increase the Father gives through patient waiting in a God-ordained field.

The harvest requires diligence. The seed, once planted, must be watched over patiently until it sprouts, and then protected because of its fragility. The fences must be maintained so nothing breaks through and spoils the tender crop. Weeding must be done diligently, preferably in the heat of the day when the hot sun causes the roots of the weeds to die, so they do not sprout again.

God is a perfect farmer. Only as we yield to the Holy Spirit can we experience the outworking of the qualities we need to become excellent "laborers together with Him" and to experience His fruit in our lives.

Sometimes farmers produce fruit that only other farmers truly appreciate; yet there will also be obvious fruit for all to see. Each of us needs to ask the Lord for the particular field He would have us till.

Then we must begin to plow, to sow pure seeds, to weed and perform all the duties of a diligent farmer, for we will reap the harvest in due season. These are all part of our very life in Jesus.