Pastor, the time to start planting is now.

We hear many leaders say, “One of these days, I’m going to . . .” They dream of starting a new ministry or getting more involved in missions. Maybe they’ll do it when they retire or when work at church calms down. 

 

However, “one of these days” is none of these days. You don’t wait for things to get better; you start planting now. Why? Because the sooner you plant, the longer you’re going to enjoy the harvest in your life.

But the harvest is not always going to come in your time. There’s always a delay between sowing and reaping. You plant in one season, and you harvest in another.

You have to be patient and not give up!

This is one of the principles that the Kingdom of God operates on. In Mark 4:26-28, Jesus says, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head” (NIV).

The results will come, but they will come slowly. And because it takes time, we need to not “become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we will reap the harvest” (Galatians 6:9 GNT).

Choose to forget about last year’s crop failure. Instead, start focusing on the long-term harvest in your life.

The Bible says in Psalm 126:5-6, “Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest” (NLT).

What have you been grieving over? Maybe you’ve experienced a personal loss in your family. Maybe you’ve lost a ministry—or you’re waiting for a ministry opportunity that never seems to come. Maybe you’ve lost your dream.

Mourning is okay; grumbling is not. Instead of grumbling, you need to plant a seed, because whatever you need more of, you need to give away.

Today is the day to plant the seed.