It was far from a glamorous job, but it was good pay for a young teen. Where I grew up, farmers often hired young people to cut corn out of soybean fields. Crops were rotated for year to year and, invariably, last year's corn would grow and threaten to diminish productivity of the current soybean crop. Pulling out the corn would do at least as much damage, so we were employed to comb the fields with poles with cutter blades to cut down the unwanted corn.
Change scenes from a soybean field to a wheat field. A mixed crop is growing: wheat, closely interspersed with "pseudo wheat" called tares - a weed resembling wheat. This mixed crop is the result of malicious over seeding by an enemy of the farmer, and the farmer's servants are preparing to root out the tares.
"he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.' " (Matthew 13:29-30)
This simple story is one of Jesus' profound parables, which He clearly explains: "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels." (Matthew 13:37-39)
The sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one coexist on planet earth. As sons (and daughters) of the kingdom, we know that a day of harvest is coming. Vindication and justice will prevail. Until then, there is wisdom in knowing the ultimate outcome, and in assessing reality. Those who are sons of the evil one will continue in their evil ways, while the destiny of the sons of the kingdom is to "SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43)
Keep growing and shining today, kingdom brothers and sisters. Stay nourished in the good soil of the word of God and the Spirit of God. The day of harvest is closer than we think.
©Steve Taylor, 2012
Change scenes from a soybean field to a wheat field. A mixed crop is growing: wheat, closely interspersed with "pseudo wheat" called tares - a weed resembling wheat. This mixed crop is the result of malicious over seeding by an enemy of the farmer, and the farmer's servants are preparing to root out the tares.
"he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, 'First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.' " (Matthew 13:29-30)
This simple story is one of Jesus' profound parables, which He clearly explains: "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels." (Matthew 13:37-39)
The sons of the kingdom and the sons of the evil one coexist on planet earth. As sons (and daughters) of the kingdom, we know that a day of harvest is coming. Vindication and justice will prevail. Until then, there is wisdom in knowing the ultimate outcome, and in assessing reality. Those who are sons of the evil one will continue in their evil ways, while the destiny of the sons of the kingdom is to "SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father." (Matthew 13:43)
Keep growing and shining today, kingdom brothers and sisters. Stay nourished in the good soil of the word of God and the Spirit of God. The day of harvest is closer than we think.
©Steve Taylor, 2012
posted by steve @ 9:28 AM
1 Comments:
At 10:48 AM,
Linda McQuinn Carlblom said…
I love these "shining" passages of scripture. Another favorite is Philippians 2:14-16. "Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blamelss and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life--in order that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing." Shine on! :)
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