Plant Now and Be Patient

In Galatians 6:9 I read, “Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest.” (GNT)

The time to start planting is now. A lot of people (including myself) say, ”They’re going to serve more or give more when they have the time, retire, or when they get a raise—one of these days”.

But “one of these days” is none of these days. I can’t wait for things to get better or something to happen; I need to start planting now. Why? Because the sooner I plant, the longer I’m going to enjoy the harvest.

But the harvest is not always going to come on my timeline. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. I plant in one season, and I harvest in another. 

I have to be patient and not give up!

This is one of the principles that the Kingdom of God operates on. In Mark 4:26-28, Jesus says, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” (NIV).

The results will come, but they will come slowly and as part of a process. And because it takes time, I have to choose to be patient: “Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest” (Galatians 6:9 GNT).

Choose to forget about last year’s crop failure. Instead, start focusing on the long-term harvest in my life. If I’m in some type of difficulty, it didn’t get that way overnight. It took years to mess things up, and it’s going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time of delay between sowing and reaping.

The Bible says in Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT).

What loss have you been grieving over? Maybe I’ve lost my dream. Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, get moving! Today is the day to plant the seed.

In summary, the time to start planting is now. A lot of people (including myself) say, ”They’re going to serve more or give more one of these days”. But “one of these days” is none of these days. I can’t wait for things to get better or something to happen; I need to start planting now. The sooner I plant, the longer I’m going to enjoy the harvest. But the harvest is not always going to come on my timeline. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. I plant in one season, and I harvest in another. I have to be patient and not give up! This is one of the principles that the Kingdom of God operates on. A man scatters seed, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. The results will come, but they will come slowly and as part of a process. And because it takes time, I have to choose to be patient: “Let us not become tired of doing good, the time will come when we will reap the harvest”. Choose to forget about last year’s crop failure. Instead, start focusing on the long-term harvest. If I’m in some type of difficulty, it didn’t get that way overnight. It took years to mess things up, and it’s going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time of delay between sowing and reaping. What loss have I been grieving over? Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, get moving! Today is the day to plant the seed.

It is discouraging to continue to do right and receive no word of thanks or see no tangible results. But Paul challenged the Galatians and myself to keep on doing good and to trust God for the results. In due time, I will reap a harvest of blessings.