Promise for Today - Time Delayed

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)

I talk to people all the time who say, “One of these days, I’m going to . . . ” They promise to serve more or give more when they retire, or when they get a raise—one of these days.

But “one of these days” is none of these days. You can’t wait for things to get better; you need to start planting now. Why? Because the sooner you plant, the longer you’re going to enjoy the harvest in your life. But the harvest is not always going to come in your expected timeframe. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you harvest in another.

You 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, you 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 your life. If you’re in financial difficulty, you didn’t get that way overnight. You took years to mess things up, and it’s going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time 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 you’ve lost your job. Maybe you’ve lost your health. Maybe you’ve lost a loved one. Maybe you’ve lost your savings. Maybe you’ve lost half of your retirement in the last few years. Maybe you’ve lost your dream.

Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, get moving!

Today is the day to plant the seed.

Talk It Over

If you could give financial advice to your younger self, what would you say? What can you learn from your financial mistakes that you can apply to your current situation?

What past mistakes and financial failures do you need to let go of? What do you need to start doing today to move forward with your finances?

What do you want to receive more of in your life? How can you plant that seed so that you will one day reap your own harvest?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

          Just as the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, so we wait for the harvest of Your promises. Teach us to be like the husbandman—faithful in our labor, trusting in the early and latter rains of Your provision
      Thank You for the seasons You have given us, for the growth You have allowed in our lives, and for the foundation You have laid. We place our hope in You, knowing that if we hope for what we do not yet see, we wait for it patiently. Strengthen our hearts so that we do not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up.
       Lord, calm our anxious thoughts and fill our souls with peace. Let our patience be a reflection of Your goodness, and may our waiting be an opportunity to grow in faith, trust, and gratitude. We trust in Your sovereignty, for to everything there is a season, and we accept Your timing in every matter. Thank You for the harvest You have already begun to gather for us, and we look forward to the fullness of Your promises. May our patience be a light to others, showing them the beauty of waiting on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Time to Wake Up

You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Romans 13:11 God's Word Translation

How many times have you said, "One of these days, I'm going to..."?

Think about that for a moment. Then answer this question: Have you done whatever it was that you were going to do "one of these days"?

You and I both know that nothing will ever just happen "one of these days" - and nothing will ever just change "one of these days" unless we are purposeful and determined.

There are 2 times that it scares me most to hear the phrase "one of these days." One is when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the person's response is "One of these days, I'll do that, but before then, I need to..." or "I want to..." The other is when we get a nudge in our heart to share the Gospel or reach out to someone and we ignore it thinking that we will do it one of these days and then it turns out that the person didn't have many more days...

We know the times in which we are living. It’s time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Prayer:

Father,
Help us to walk out Your Word in 1st Corinthians 15:58 - to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Help us to live our lives admirably purposeful all of our days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Admirably Purposeful

You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Romans 13:11 God's Word Translation

How many times have you said, "One of these days, I'm going to..." Did you?

Did you make any New Year resolutions? One of the definitions for "resolute" is to be "admirably purposeful." I love that phrase. Does it describe the intent behind your resolution?

Nothing will ever just happen "one of these days" - and nothing will ever just change "one of these days" unless we are admirably purposeful toward making it happen.

There are 2 times that it scares me most to hear "one of these days." One is when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the person's response is "One of these days, I'll do that, but before then, I need to..." or "I want to..." The other is when we get a nudge in our heart to share the Gospel or reach out to someone and we ignore it thinking that we will do it one of these days and it turns out that the person didn't have many more days...

We know the times in which we are living. It’s time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to walk out Your Word in 1st Corinthians 15:58 - to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Help us to live our lives admirably purposeful all of our days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Resolute

You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.
Romans 13:11 God's Word Translation

There's been much talk in the last week about how quickly this year has ended and how much didn't get done because there seemed to be no time to do it. Almost as if someone pulled a month or so out of the calendar year to shorten it. Of course, we know that didn't happen, but it seems that way.

Have you come up with a resolution for the new year? Is it short term or long term? Is it eternal?  According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology, "People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions." You know, people who are resolute in their resolutions.

If you look up the word 'resolute', it is defined as "admirably purposeful, determined, unwavering, steadfast, unshakable." Do any of those describe the intent behind your resolution?

How many times have you said, "One of these days, I'm going to..."  Think about that for a moment. Then answer this question: Have you done whatever it was that you were going to do "one of these days"?  Nothing will ever just happen "one of these days" - and nothing will ever just change "one of these days" unless we are admirably purposeful and determined.

There are two times that it scares me most to hear "one of these days." One is when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the person's response is "One of these days, I'll do that, but before then, I need to..." or "I want to..." The other is when we get a nudge in our heart to share the Gospel or reach out to someone and we ignore it thinking that we will do it one of these days and it turns out that the person didn't have many more days...

We know the times in which we are living. It’s time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Prayer:

Father,
           Help us to walk out Your Word in 1st Corinthians 15:58 - to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Help us to live our lives admirably purposeful for all of our days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* One of These Days

You know the times in which we are living. It’s time for you to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.
Romans 13:11 God's Word Translation

How many times have you said, "One of these days, I'm going to..." 

Think about that for a moment. Then answer this question: Have you done whatever it was that you were going to do "one of these days"? 

There's been much talk in the last week about how quickly the year ended and how much didn't get done because there seemed to be no time to do it. Almost as if someone pulled a month or so out of the calendar year to shorten it. Of course, we know that didn't happen, but it seems to have passed very quickly... and here we are at Day 2 of another new year. 

Did you come up with a resolution for the year? Is it short term or long term? Is it eternal? It may seem a bit premature to ask, but how are you doing with it? 

Losing weight/getting healthy is the number one New Year resolution, followed closely by getting organized. According to the University of Scranton, Journal of Clinical Psychology, "People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times more likely to attain their goals than people who don't explicitly make resolutions."  You know, people who are resolute in their resolutions.

If you look up the word 'resolute', it is defined as "admirably purposeful, determined, unwavering, steadfast, unshakable." Do any of those describe the intent behind your resolution?

Nothing will ever just happen "one of these days" - and nothing will ever just change "one of these days" unless we are admirably purposeful and determined. 

There are 2 times that it scares me most to hear "one of these days." One is when we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the person's response is "One of these days, I'll do that, but before then, I need to..." or "I want to..." The other is when we get a nudge in our heart to share the Gospel or reach out to someone and we ignore it thinking that we will do it one of these days and it turns out that the person didn't have many more days... 

We know the times in which we are living. It’s time for us to wake up. Our salvation is nearer now than when we first became believers.

Prayer:

Father,
         Help us to walk out Your Word in 1st Corinthians 15:58 - to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor is not in vain. Help us to live our lives admirably purposeful all of our days. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen