A Richer Harvest

Posted by Karen on Jun 10, 2012 | 0 comments

According to Psalm 1:3, fruit-bearing seasons always follow seasons of continual ground saturation. How do we remain saturated? By delighting in God’s Word. By meditating on it day and night.

In John 15:4-5, Jesus teaches us that if our lives are to bear any fruit at all, then we must remain in Him. If we do, then He will remain (or abide) in us, enabling us to bear much fruit.

Likewise, James 5:7 notes that the farmer “waits for the land to yield its valuable crop,” waiting patiently for the autumn and spring rains.

So then, the Lord is not just after fruit; He’s after much fruit. And He’s not just waiting for a crop; He’s waiting for a valuable crop. Does this mean there’s a difference in the wait time?

Consider Leviticus 19:23-25 (MSG) — “When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, don’t eat the fruit for three years; consider it inedible. By the fourth year its fruit is holy, an offering of praise to God. Beginning in the fifth year you can eat its fruit; you’ll have richer harvests this way…”

For a new fruit tree to thrive and bear more fruit later, a gardener will pinch off the blossoms to prevent the tree from bearing in its earliest years. If we want a richer harvest in any area of our lives, then we must expect the Lord to “pinch off the blossoms” in our new seasons so that we can honor Him later with a harvest worthy of a firstfruits offering.