TCM Devotion: Working For the Harvest

Verse: James 5:7-11

Devotion:
January is a month of resolutions. We begin the month with optimism, determined to accomplish our goals. We want to slim down, break a bad habit, improve a relationship, or move forward in our career. Many of the goals that we set fail, however, because we are not willing to patiently work through them. We want to see immediate results, but we can’t have a fit body after one workout.

In the same way, we cannot harvest a field until the crops are ready. God’s plan was not for us to see immediate results in this life. Just like a farmer waits for the harvest, we need to wait on Jesus. Jesus promised that he would one day return and take away all the evil and suffering in the world. He wants us to patiently wait for this day to come, but he also wants us to live like we believe it’s coming. A farmer doesn’t just sit at watch the fields until harvest; he ploughs the fields and sows the seeds. Then he patiently waits for God to send the rain.

If we truly believe that God is transforming the world, we would join him in that work. We would not “grumble against each other” as this passage suggests. Instead we would show others who Jesus is by forgiving them and loving them. We would not allow others to continue to be spiritual orphans. Instead we would invite them into God’s family. We would not allow poverty to continue to rob others of life. Instead we would work towards justice.

Thought:
What are you waiting for God to change in the world? What can you do today to work towards that change while you wait?