It’s harvest time…well maybe a little past…but work with me here.
It’s that time of the year when farmers gather up their harvest and enjoy the fruits of their labor. They’ve spent the spring-time planting seeds, then the summer watering, fertilizing and weeding.
Autumn is the time to reap the benefits of sowing healthy seeds.
In that same way, the current harvest in our marriage is the result of the seeds we have sown and cultivated in the past.
We are reaping today, the seeds planted last season (could be hours, days or months). Is your harvest a strong and healthy marriage or are you struggling and feeling alone? Could it be that we’re not reaping love from our husbands right now because we were sowing seeds of disrespect? I’m going to go out on a limb with my own experiences and say uh-huh, uh-huh (nodding furiously).
Heb 12:10-11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. NIV A harvest of righteousness in a marriage requires sowing healthy seeds, watering, fertilizing and pulling up the weeds! It’s not easy, we have to discipline ourselves to do things that we may not want to do.
James 3:18
Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.
NIV
Sometimes it’s hard to sow the right seeds…but let me ask you- what kind of harvest do you want? Don’t wimp out and take the lazy way out- there’s too much at stake.
It’s going to take radical obedience to lay down your own wants and needs for your husband.
It will take way more than being the status-quo wife to live like this. In fact…it will be a direct contradiction to the pattern of this world.
The natural inclination is to sow condesending words and attitudes, but God calls us as wives to sow respect.
Eph 5:33 …and the wife must respect her husband. NIV Ok, so the farmer who wants corn in the fall, plants corn seeds early June. If he wants carrots, he plants carrots. If he wants pumpkins, he plants pumpkins… You get the picture.
We reap what we sow.
Gal 6:7-9 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. NIV
I am living proof that this verse is true. Everytime I sow seeds of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness, I reap a level of destruction in my marriage. But when I sow forgiveness, mercy and respect I reap a happy home. (Ladies, sometimes just try smiling more…it really does make a difference!)
The Lord wants to rebuild marriages and strengthen the bond between us, but He needs our co-operation. We need to plant seeds that will bring life to our marriages.
First plant respect, it is your husbands #1 need. From there, look at the fruit of the Spirit that as women of God we should be producing: Gal 5:22-23 22 But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, 23 Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). AMP
Let’s pray, Father, thank you for every women reading this today that has a desire to honor You as the wife You’ve called her to be. Empower us by Your Holy Spirit to walk in the fruit of the Spirit in our homes. Help us to respect our husbands, even those who aren’t walking in obedience to Your Word. I pray that You would heal broken hearts and bind up the wounds that no one else sees. I pray for complete restoration of marriages that some have counted as lost. Nothing is impossible for You God! In Jesus name we pray, amen.
I would love to hear testimony of how God is using these TSBO Tuesdays and highlight them from time to time in my posts. Please email me what God has been doing in your marriage and let me know if I can share it (indicate if you would prefer it with or without your name). Thank you!
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