Your Reward Will Come

by Nancy Campbell - www.aboverubies.org - Used by permission

"He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully" (2 Corinthians 9:6).
 

My heart overflows with thankfulness each morning as I enter my garden to pick another harvest. And it grows overnight! I pick a huge basket of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, okra and so on each morning and there's another huge basket to pick the next morning. I am in awe of God. I can't help exclaiming every morning, "Thank you, Lord for your amazing bounty."

 

I remember springtime when it was time to plant. I had just arrived home from Europe where Colin and I were ministering. I came home with a debilitating cough and was quite ill. I had to get out the next issue of Above Rubies, proofread and edit Serene and Pearl's book, Trim Healthy Mama, and the garden was waiting to plant. I didn't know how I could gather up the energy to plant the garden. I was tempted to forget about it. But, I knew if I didn't do it, we wouldn't have a harvest in the summer. And of course, you know my favorite affirmation, "Things don't just happen; you have to make them happen." So I went out, and in my weakness and continual coughing, planted anyway.

 

Now, every day I am amazing at the bounty and glory of my garden. And I am humbled to realize that I can't take any credit for it. All I did was plant. My dear husband watered. But, God caused it to grow. He gives the increase. I think of the Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that given the increase."

 

My 19 year old grandson, Zadok is now market gardening. He's called "Zadok, the Natural Farmer." He also shared with me yesterday how every vegetable he picks, he looks upon it as a gift from God. He knows he can't make one plant grow. It is all God. Of course, he works hard to prepare the ground and sow. We often hear the Rota-tiller still going at 2.00 am in the morning!

 

Dear mother, it is the same in your high calling of motherhood. All you have to do is sow and water and God will do the rest. There are times when you feel weak, you feel overwhelmingly tired, you may even be sick, or you feel the job is too big for you. Can I encourage you to keep planting anyway? Even in your weakness, even in your inadequacy, don't give up.

 

There will be times that you will sow with tears, tears of tiredness, sadness, and heartache. Keep sowing. Be encouraged with God's promise, "They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psalm 126:5-6).

 

Be faithful to plant the "precious" seeds of God's truth into the hearts of your children every day. Be faithful with Family Devotions morning and evening. As you are faithful to plant God's Word into their lives and water it with prayer, God will do the rest. You don't make it grow. Only God can do that. He will work His harvest in their lives. Without a doubt, you will reap your harvest and give God the glory.

 

The Word is able to save their souls (Psalm 19:7; 2 Timothy 3:15; James 1:21), keep them from sin (Psalm 119:9, 11), teach them wisdom (Psalm 19:7), conform them to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29; 2 Corinthians 3:18) and guide them in the way God wants them to go (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 6:20-23).

 

Plants seeds of love, patience, encouragement, and affirmation and watch them grow.