Sowing and Reaping

 
Editor's Note and Update: As you all are probably well aware by now, Japan has been devastated by a record-setting and horrific earthquake followed by a monstrous tsunami, that has killed hundreds and left countless others homeless and their lives shattered. And now they face nuclear radiation leaking from damaged plants in the nightmarish melee. Please join us in prayer for the people of Japan as they strive to bring their lives and country back together. God bless and keep the faithful, and may all our brothers and sisters in Japan find restoration and peace as swiftly as possible. 


Thank you. Now on with our feature post-

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Sowing and Reaping

Even though the ground is still frozen and the area a dirty snow and muddy mess, my thoughts are leaning toward an anticipated harvest in a few months from our garden.  Compost material is being gathered and plans are beginning to form as to what kind of seeds we will sow into the ground his year.

I am a firm believer that God uses the natural to show us the supernatural. There is a well-established correlation, spiritually, between sowing and reaping.  As a pastor my heart longs for revival—a spiritual awakening that changes the city and reaches out to the region, then the country, and eventually to all nations. Any pastor who has the heart of God has this desire. The trap for many ministries, mine included, is to look to the people coming—the congregation—for what they can provide (i.e.: finances, donating their time and talents to help the church, etc.) and wanting others to come in to fill the many empty ministry opportunities ... while mistakenly not doing much sowing into their lives.

I have rich soil on my ministry’s property yet I, along with the others who call Shiloh’s Lighthouse their church 'home' and claim ownership of 'our ministry,' must work the soil this spring. We must sow seeds into the ground, toil and sweat over it ... before we can expect a harvest—a “revival” of new life-enriching foods that will strengthen our bodies and minds, helping to keep us healthy. 

Spiritually I find myself on rich ground as well, but the ground needs to be toiled over. More must be done to work it and more sowing needs to happen into the lives of those who call Shiloh’s Lighthouse their church, their spiritual home, as well as into the community we live in.  Many souls come to this ministry during the week ... how many of them have ever been asked a simple question: "How can I pray for you?" We all interact with souls in need every day, and ... so few of us do anything to sow into their lives.

We have a Taco Dinner Fund-Raiser coming up on Friday the 18^th of this month. This time, as I greet people, I will ask them that question: "How can I pray for you?" I will give them the opportunity to be heard, for me to sow into their lives. I want a spiritual harvest—staring at the ground and wishing it into existence won’t make it happen. A wise man I loved and learned much from had this to say about sowing and reaping:

“No farmer will attempt to reap a harvest without proper sowing of seed. This demands, as well, a proper preparation of soil. Naturally, thinking of Sowing and Reaping as in Spiritual matters, 'sowing' refers to the teaching, preaching, and witnessing of the Word of God, and 'reaping' speaks of the fruit, in another word: REVIVAL!

"Soil must be prepared; fallow ground must be broken up. Without it we cannot have revival in the world, nor in cold, dead, indifferent churches. Revival begins first with the pastor, then the church, and then the world! The pastor is awakened, greatly burdened, then one by one the church gets revived, then comes the mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost revival in which the unsaved are gathered in the grand harvest of reaping what has been sowed. But our hearts must become prepared first, then the sowing, then the reaping.” 

~~Rev. Frank Wilson, preaching in Lexington, KY, June 23^rd, 1957~~

Rev. Frank Wilson was my earthly father. This pastor’s heart, like his Father's, is longing for a spiritual harvest – will you join me in the sowing and the reaping?

Keep the faith ….

Pastor Dana Wilson

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