Posted on Sep 9, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, Apostle Paul, athlete, devotion, ever faithful, faithfulness, farmer, harvest, planting, reaping, salvation, soldier, sowing
The Farmer Part 4
Harvesting
After Ploughing the soil of the world, planting seeds of faith, watering with the source of Christ, we have the final product: A harvest of faithful souls! The quintessential virtues throughout this process are faith, patience, and consistent work. The Farmer has seen every step and having faithfully executed each step, he will assuredly receive a result. The fruit we share in is the righteousness of Christ.
The “First pick of the Crop” is the fruit of faith in Christ manifested in justification, sanctification, and ultimately the unseen glorification of God’s people. The brilliant thing about being Farmers for Christ is that we glory in Christ’s harvest. Every step comes to the climax of reproducing God’s original work through obedience and conformity to Him.
Reflection
- How does your life reflect the soldier, the athlete, and the farmer? Is there one area you are weaker in then the others? Which is it and why?
- What change can you make today to assist you with marching in step, running with endurance, and sowing with patience?
Written by: Bill Crawford
September 2020
Posted on Sep 3, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, Apostle Paul, athlete, competiion, devotion, enemy, Ephesians 6:10-20, ever faithful, faithful, faithfulness, God, justification, obedience, race
The Athlete Part 2
Open Competition
The church is a church of athletes, we are continually running our race, boxing with the flesh and competing with ourselves for the prize of hearing God say, “Well done, My good and faithful servant (
Matt. 25:23).” But we do not compete by ourselves, we have other more nefarious enemies to contend with. They too serve a master and his name is Satan. They claim to serve themselves or perhaps no one, but we the Christian know that while some may claim that there are no “sides” and no “Teams” we truly know there is. You are either a slave to the world, to the flesh to death or a slave to Christ and there is no in-between (
Rom. 6:15-23). We compete in this day and age not against governments or policies, not against taxes and legislation, we compete against teams of a different nature altogether (
Eph. 6:10-20).
What are the other teams? It would take me more than a lifetime to go through all of them but some of the major contenders of this day are Pantheism, Secularism, and Relativism. Pantheism is to make the world God, Secularism is to make science God, and Relativism makes self God. All of these things are our competitors and yet they follow only one rule that of Idolatry. The Christian must be well drilled to deal with these cheaters but here we must make an important choice: Will you follow the rules or will you try and subvert them?
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Posted on Aug 31, 2020 in Devotional | Tags: 2 Timothy 2:1-7, athlete, devotion, faithful, faithfulness, farmer, service, soldier
Day 1: Ever Faithful
Paul begins this chapter encouraging Timothy to be strong. Paul called for strength no less than twenty-five times throughout his letters to Timothy. This call is not just for Timothy, but it is for “All faithful men.” Let us pause and consider what that truly implies: Paul did not say powerful men, he did not say wise men, and he did not say charismatic men. He says FAITHFUL men!
The Greek word “Faithful” is “Pistos” and it describes “one who readily believes.” This word is also a business term for someone who is dedicated to their work and can be trusted to fulfill their duties. God needs men who are consistent. He is not looking for intelligence because God takes the foolish things and confounds the wise (1 Cor. 1:26-31). God is not looking for the strong, for in our weakness He becomes our strength (2 Cor. 12:9). God is not looking for the beautiful, for He sees the measure of a man’s heart, rather than his looks (1 Sam. 16:7). Read more…
Posted on Jan 2, 2017 in Devotional, The Holy Spirit | Tags: devotion, faithfulness, fruit of the Spirit, gentleness, goodness, Holy Spirit, joy, kindness, longsuffering, love, peace, self-control
I love fruit! Peaches are my favorite with pineapples a close second. A basket of ripe and healthy fruit is a joy to behold. The beautiful colors and the sweet aromas beckon the hungry forward to try a bit of everything. Galatians 5 teaches us of a spiritual fruit basket, produced by the Holy Spirit in us, which can brighten our days and bring true contentment to our lives.
Galatians 5:22 and 23 states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love (1 John 3:16), joy (1 Peter 1:8), peace (John 14:27), longsuffering (Ephesians 4:1-3), kindness (2 Timothy 2:24), goodness (Galatians 6:10), faithfulness (Lamentations 3:22-24), 23 gentleness (Colossians 3:12,13), self-control (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Against such there is no law.” This fruit manifested in our lives will impact the decisions we make, our interactions with the world around us, and lead us ever closer to the abundant life Jesus promised us (John 10:10).
What is the secret to producing the fruit above? Walking with the Holy Spirit each day! Galatians 5:24 and 25 tells us, “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
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