Home with Joy and for Rest and Replenishment

Being out there in the world is hard. It is challenging and tiring and frankly a battle at every turn. We are going to expend ourselves fully in pursuit. We are to be pursuing the Father. We are to be out there doing the work that He has for us in this world. We are to give all that we have in the pursuit of doing His work.

“⁴Restore our fortunes, O LORD,

like streams in the Negeb!

⁵Those who sow in tears

shall reap with shouts of joy!

⁶He who goes out weeping,

bearing the seed for sowing,

shall come home with shouts of joy,

bringing his sheaves with him.”

— Psalm 126:4-6 (ESV)

And what after we have expended all that we are to sow the seeds of the LORD, we come home with joy in our hearts for the work is worth it. We will come home rejoicing at the work and with us we bring the satisfaction of knowing that we have sown the seeds of the LORD where He would have us sow. We come home with joy in our hearts even as we are weary from the work, knowing that the LORD will restore us fully so that we are able to go out the next day and do the same.

“⁷Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. ⁸For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. ⁹And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:7-9 (ESV)

It is in the sowing for the LORD that we find joy. We are rewarded with and thanks to that which we sow. If we are out there for ourselves, we will reap yes, but the reward will require more work, without rest or joy. But, when we are out there for the LORD, we have His Word to provide rest and replenishment. We find joy in the work and that joy leads to rest so that we can again make our way out for more work the next day.

Yes, we are to be out there doing the work of the LORD and yes, we will get tired from the work. When we return home after the long day of doing the work for the LORD we will find joy in the work and rest in the Word. When we return home we are to rejoice in the work we accomplished and then get back in the Word of the LORD to find rest and replenishment for the next day’s work for Him.

Our home is not just a place for us to anchor, but a place to find joy. We come home, whether our personal home or church home with joy in our heart and seeking rest and replenishment to go out and continue the work of the LORD and returning home again with joy and seeking rest and replenishment to go out and continue the work of the LORD again.

What are you finding at home? Are you finding more of the same, work to keep up? What if you were to do the work of the LORD in the world and come home with joy in your heart and seeking rest and replenishment from the Word to go out again the following day?

Sow and Allow God To Work it Out

I have been taught that anything worth doing is worth doing right. And, where this is true, we have to think about things not in result, but in process. When it comes to our spreading of the Gospel for the LORD, we are to sow the seeds He has for us and then allow Him to do His work for the result.

“³And he told them many things in parables, saying: ‘A sower went out to sow.’” – Matthew 13:3 (ESV)

I see here as Jesus is speaking to the crowd, He indicates that the sower just went out to sow. He went out to do the work. The LORD gave the sower a task to complete and he went, as we are instructed to do as followers of Christ. We are to go out and do the work assigned by God to us. We are not to worry with the result of things, we are to take our action and move on to the next action as instructed by the LORD.

When you look at the rest of the parable of the sower, we see that the sower’s seeds fell on the path, on rocky ground, among thorns, and on good soil. The sower did not seek out the good soil to sow, he just sowed seeds as he was to do. I know, why not seek out the good soil and get the best return on investment? I agree with you and that is where it is hard for us/me to understand. But, God would have us sow all along the path, as we do not know how the seeds will turn out, that is for God to determine.

You see, God has a plan for the seeds that we sow. They may land on the rocky ground and be carries away by rains to good soil. Or, among the thorns, there might be a patch of good soil where a seed may land and flourish. If we simply do the work of the LORD in the church, we will miss the opportunity to reach those who may be looking for the LORD. We are simply to do the task of sowing the seeds and allow God to do the work He has planned.

What is your approach to sowing seeds? Are you always on the lookout for only the good soil? What if you were to just spread the Gospel of the LORD among all ground and allow God to work out the result of your sowing?

Concern Yourself with Good

This morning as usual, I read the entire chapter or full titled section to gain context for my study. I found it more challenging this morning as I read through Proverbs 24 as I was looking for the context and not just allowing the verse/stanza to speak for itself.

“¹⁹Fret not yourself because of evildoers,

and be not envious of the wicked,

²⁰for the evil man has no future;

the lamp of the wicked will be put out.”

— Proverbs 24:19-20 (ESV)

The above is where I was led this morning for my Bible Study. Proverbs is always a good and interesting place for me be. It is really, in my view, a collection of what to do and what to stay away from. Even the introduction in my ESV Bible indicates that it is a “collection of Israelite wisdom literature”. The verses and stanzas can stand by themselves in a lot of cases.

I am to concern myself with good and know that evil and wickedness will be taken care of by the LORD. When I am presented with evil and wicked, I am to move on and turn to good with my attention and focus. Yes, there is a time for me to work to overcome darkness with the light of the LORD. He will give me those opportunities as I seek to do the Will of the LORD. But, I am also to remember that if/when the LORD is not accepted, I am to move on.

“¹⁴And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” – Matthew 10:14-15 (ESV)

There is no kingdom gain from the continued concern with the evil and wicked. I will only waste away as I try to change them as after all, I cannot, only the LORD can. I plant seeds of the LORD and then He takes over to grow in the heart. Once I have completed my work, I am to move on to the next.

Yes, I can and should continue to pray that God’s Will be done in the heart of the evil and wicked. I am to ask that the LORD continue to do His work. But, I am to move on and not concern myself with more work, once my work is done. I am to move on to the good and devote my concern there.

So, as noted in verse 19 from Proverbs 24 above, I have to “fret not” with regard to that of the evildoers and the wicked. I have to move on to the good and do the work the LORD has for me.

What is your thought on interactions with the evil and wicked? Are you pouring and concerning all of yourself into them? What if you were to plant the seed and then move on to the next good, allowing the LORD to grow the seed?