The Word:
sheaf
noun
ˈshēf
Plural sheaves ˈshēvz
1: a quantity of the stalks and ears of a cereal grass or sometimes other plant material bound together
2: something resembling a sheaf of grain – a sheaf of papers
3: a large amount or number – “But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD; they do not understand his plan, that he has gathered them like sheaves to the threshing floor.” Micah 4:12
sheaflike
ˈshēf-ˌlīk adjective
Focal Passage:
“Those who sow with tears
will reap with songs of joy.
Those who go out weeping,
carrying seed to sow,
will return with songs of joy,
carrying sheaves with them.”
Psalms 126:5-6
Jesus said, “The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few”, and yet, that is our purpose, to sow the seed of His gospel in a sad world. Our Bill of Rights guarantees, “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” That’s all well and good for words on paper, but it’s not what Jesus promised his followers. The work of the gospel of Christ is arduous, often dangerous, and sometimes insufferable. Being truly spiritual oftentimes doesn’t feel good. It means reaching down into the muck and slime of other people’s lives and giving them a hand up so that they can see if only for a moment, the light of Christ in their lives. Ann Graham Lotz put it this way, “The cross that Jesus commands you and me to carry is the cross of submissive obedience to the will of God, even when His will includes suffering and hardship and things we don’t want to do. It is a willingness to totally, absolutely, irrevocably, and finally yield our lives to Him because we want what He wants more than what we want.”
Being obedient means giving up your life, plans, and ideas to go out and sow the seeds of salvation even when you know that some will fall on rocks and among weeds. It’s not the pursuit of life, liberty, or happiness. It’s often done in weeping and tears, but, Oh the joy of the harvest, bringing in the sheaves.
Prayer:
Father: send workers into the fields that we might sow a mighty harvest for you in a world that is desperately in need of Your gospel of Truth. Send the Latter Rain, Father, that Your harvest will bring plenty. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Castaways Point 