Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven;
(Ecclesiastes 3:1, NKJV)

Lists! Making lists seems to be a popular thing, and, to an extent, necessary. We make lists of things to do, like schedules, shopping lists, birthdays and anniversaries.
If you are like me, once more than one thing is on the agenda - even a little bit in advance - it better be written on the master calendar. Even so, a phone call from the doctor’s office, or the vet, sometimes sends us scrambling to the master schedule list to confirm the call. And - they do sometimes get their list messed up, and some juggling goes on. But, yes, something written down trumps brain cells for permanence.
There are two ways to go shopping for the daily bread, experts say. One method is to go to the store, walk the aisles, scanning the goodies, say, “I need that,” and toss it in the cart. Still, the pantry shelves sometimes end up with a stash of an item that we are sure is in demand, until we add the new supply to it.
The better way is to take - you guessed it! - a shopping list. Now this takes will power, or perhaps ‘Won’t power.’ If you fully develop that list, and stick to it as you traverse the racks and shelves, if you summon up the courage of your convictions and walk on by those tempting displays that practically reach out and grab your hand, you will end up with fewer items in the cart, and a lower number at the checkout.
A list containing names of items is not enough when shopping for clothing, hardware, or maintenance supplies. Especially if the designated shopper is not the person needing the item. The designee typically stands staring at an unbelievable array of choices in color, size, quality and other miscellany that boggle the mind. That’s why you so often see a shopper standing in front of a furlong sized display with a cell phone pressed to their ear.
Sewing supplies, nuts and bolts, potions, lotions and notions! Our society is certainly productive. Sizes most definitely matter, as well as content, additives, containers and material. Physical properties, all. A list is mandatory.
Another currently popular list is the “Bucket List,” things to do before you “kick the bucket”- that is, die. Perhaps it could be called a life list. One internet site that I found advises to “stop putting off your dreams for ‘someday,’ and ask yourself, “If I had one year left to live, what would I be sure to do.?”
Typical list suggestions include trips, adventures, and special activities. Visit that exotic spot; ride a camel; parachute from an airplane; drive a racing car; climb a mountain. That sort of thing.
Ecclesiastes Chapter 3 presents a well-known list of life events, including:

“A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to love, and a time to hate.”

Verse 11 states that God has made everything beautiful in its time, and put eternity in our hearts. Nothing is better than to rejoice, and do good during life.
“I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it.” (verse 14)
The ‘Preacher’ concludes, “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecc. 12:14)
Eternity is forever! Be sure your list includes preparations.

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Good and Faithful Servants
* Scripture: "Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters." Proverbs 25:13, NKJV

Farming is an occupation that is critically dependent upon the weather for successful planting, growing and harvest of crops. A few days delay of planting or harvest can make a big difference in yield, or even cause a total loss or failure of the crop.
Field crops, such as grain, need rain after the planting is finished, during the growing season, but wet fields delay planting.
Too much rain during the growing season is bad, and hail, wind, or even drought can destroy the crop at any stage of growth. Timely, moderate rain is essential, and totally beyond control of the farmer.
Probably no stage of growth of any crop - field, orchard, or vineyard - is more critical than at harvest time. The ripe grain can be flattened by wind or hail. Untimely rain, or, heaven forbid! A snow storm at harvest time is a grower's nightmare.
The little verse from Proverbs 25:13 puzzled me for two reasons. First, I can't imagine any farmer happy about snow on a ripe crop, especially standing grain in the field.
Second, the verse is about harvest time in Israel. I know that they do have snow, but I doubted that it happened often in summer, during the harvest season. I had to check this one out.
And I am glad that I did! It opened up a new insight on living in God's kingdom.
I found that it does indeed snow in Israel, usually only in the depths of winter, and even then the snow quickly melts. Harvest time is usually hot, and intensive manual labor in the fields is hard on the workers. Oh! For a cold drink to slake the thirst of one and all. Enter Mount Hermon, which usually has snow even in the summer time. Snow! The ideal cooler for drinks in a hot, arid climate. No ice houses, no refrigeration equipment. Snow from the mountain in the time of harvest to refresh the soul.
Now notice the rest of that verse. It is not about farming or the harvest at all. It is about messengers, good and faithful servants! (See Matthew 25:21.) About faithful friends, leaders, wives and husbands. Pastors and laity. About you and me, servants one and all.
What an insight we gain when we learn the real purpose of that one little verse. God made all things for good, at the right time, in the right place, in the season of need.
Pray that we all come to embody the qualities of that "good and faithful servant" who refreshes the soul of his masters like a drink cooled by snow in the heat of the summer.
July 23, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them, did not go in, because of their disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:6, NIV)

The arrival of new seed catalogs in January always provides a welcome contrast to the drabness of winter for me. Slowly paging through the illustrations provides a connecting link between the season past, and the season that might be. For a time, the cold and dreary winter weather gives way to memories of planting and harvest, the warmth of a summer day, and anticipation of the new birth of spring.
As I turn to the pages of berry plants, I think of the autumn days when we walked among the raspberries, picking and eating the fruit right from the vines. I am reminded that we have blackberries in the freezer, summer’s bounty suspended in time. I turn to pictures of flowers, glance out the window to the frozen beds, now barren and devoid of all but a few ornamental grasses swaying in the winter wind, and daydream of the days to come when a rainbow of colors will once again grace those places, filling the warm, evening air with their fragrance.
I can not help but smile when I read the claims for giant sized fruit, amazing yields, and infallible varieties of food and flower. In an ideal world or location - perhaps! Unfortunately, my garden is not necessarily ideal. I know from experience that I can not plant just anything and everything and expect to obtain perfect results.
I recall some raspberry plants that I purchased from a local chain store. They grew well, vined and multiplied all over the place. I tended them, weeded, pruned, fertilized - did all the recommended things. I never got any fruit from them, no, not even one berry! So the time came when those plants were dug out, thrown away, and replaced with plants that have since borne much fruit.
Did I hate those plants? No, not really. I had no prejudice against the variety, and nothing compelled me to root them out because I liked something else better. Actually, I wanted them to be a part of my garden, and I cared for them as much, if not more, than the other plants. But in spite of that nurture, they were unproductive. By their lack of fruit, they lost their right to remain in my garden. Had they borne much fruit, as the advertisements claimed that they would, they would be there to this day.
Jesus used the vineyard and orchard to illustrate the realities of the Kingdom of God. In His parables, people are compared to the vines and trees, and God to the husbandman who planted and cares for them. I see nothing that suggests that He is eager to throw out certain ‘varieties’ any more than I am with my garden, nor that favoritism plays any role at all. All are desired, all are cherished and cared for. There is a condition, however, to remain in God’s ‘orchard’ kingdom; no one who turns away from God, or against Him, may remain. It is our individual choice. The “greatest” commandment says it all; “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:29b-30)
One can not be “disobedient”, i.e., to commit murder or theft, bear false witness, or dishonor parents, and fulfill the Greatest Commandment. Either we turn toward God, or we don’t. If we LOVE God with ALL our being, we will be fruitful, and remain in His Rest (see Hebrews Ch. 4 )
January 11, 2004

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: Ezekiel wrote, “I will remove from them their heart of stone, and give them a heart of flesh. Ezk. 11:19b, NIV
Good News!
“For to unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given,
and the government will be upon his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)
Matthew affirms that a “’virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ - which means, God with us.” (Mt. 1:23)
We look forward to the culmination of that promise in the birth of Jesus as we begin the Advent season of the church calendar, the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting.
Good News, Indeed!
So why, then, are some so stressed out and irritable?
Thoughts of endless rounds of shopping, scheduling, cooking and decorating send some to questioning, “Who started Christmas, anyway?” That is usually a rhetorical question; they don’t really want to know, and couldn’t care less about the real reason for the season. They feel trapped, pressured, by a social custom they dare not ignore, missing the joy they are supposed to have, but can’t find. On the other hand, some who know the real reason for Christmas also get themselves worked up to a purple tizzy, over those who ignore Jesus’ role in it. Santa Claus, “XMAS,” the whole commercialization of the Savior’s birth so grabs their focus that they loose sight of the Good News. They also miss the joy of Jesus.
My suggestion is to think of caves. That’s right, caves. Sure, we can rant and rail against the ‘world’s way,’ but that is about like making a cave by bashing rock against rock. It creates a lot of noise, and an abrasive residue. No, better to be like the steady drip of water that dissolves the limestone, and leaves behind a cave.
First, watch that anger at the world doesn’t eat away at the foundation of your “temple”,” bringing it down to ruin.
Second, be as drops of sweet water, dissolving the hardness of hearts of stone. Set an example of joy, peace, and good will. Perhaps some will see, and open their hearts to Jesus, the real Reason for the Season.
November 30, 2003