Daily Devotional Dives - Harvest of Righteousness

Recently I've planted a garden of sorts and do hope and pray there will be a harvest despite not having much of a green thumb.  In the garden there is the encourage-mint (pun intended) that is flourishing.  Not much of my own doing though.  I planted and watered it a bit but then God has been helping me out profusely with daily deluges of rain.  That works so well and why the mint doth flourish.  

In the spiritual realm of things, God presents us with various happenings of life that may not seem like showers of blessing at all.  Yet according to the author of Hebrews 12, when we persevere and endure through hardship, it is discipline for our good and produces a harvest of righteousness and peace.  

Since God loves us, he disciplines us, His sons and daughters.  Don't lose heart through it all.  Through the rebukes, learn to submit to your Heavenly Father.  All these things help to strengthen our feeble arms and weak knees and will bring about healing. 

We need to be 'tough' Christians that don't keel over and faint when the going gets rough.  Perseverance and endurance need to characterize us and we are to be running, fixing our eyes on The Goal; our Lord Jesus Christ.  He is our example.

We know all this in theory, and when the going gets tough, let us pick up the baton and continue on, with Christ.  In the end, we will flourish.

On facebook, just this day, a friend posted a video clip of a pastor that had had two bouts of cancer.  At least one bout was of tongue cancer and he had lost part of his tongue.  He had been told the first time that he wouldn't be able to walk again.  The second time, that he wouldn't be able to talk or sing again.  Yet there he was up there on stage a testimony to God's goodness, walking and talking and singing.  He even said he could jump.  To me this is also an encouragement and inspiration to press on despite difficulties of life.  

The pastor's name is Jason David and he wrote and sang this song:

These Walls

Hebrews 12:15 exhorts to keep a positive outlook so that no root of bitterness comes in to cause trouble.  In contrast, have a look at verse 28, where there is thankfulness, and worship of God with reverence and awe that will be produced when we persevere.  Thankfulness and worship can be contagious. 

I think a waaaaay back to a friend of my mother's who was like a happy little busy bee.  She'd 'buzz' around the kitchen doing dishes and stuff all the while humming and singing as she toiled.  That created a happy and pleasant atmosphere in which those within hearing range would relax and feel at peace and in turn feel like humming along too.  Uplifting.

This is a way to build up a home too, (Proverbs 14:1).  Perseverance despite the annoyances and frustrations very young children &/or teenagers present.  Being thankful and worshiping our Abba, Father, can see us through.  May you and your families all flourish and produce harvests of righteousness for our ever faithful Father, God.

                                                     ~ERC  2017~
                                 Originally written March 1995; adapted for blog July 2017