WAITING LIKE A FARMER!

 

Tuesday, November 25, 2025

 

Yes, it’s a classic.

 

WAITING LIKE A FARMER!

 

James 5:7-8

7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman [farmer] waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

 

          Picture a local coffee shop very early in the morning. One old farmer has just arrived and jingles the bell as he gently closes the door behind him. He is dressed in overalls, flannel shirt, work boots and an oily John Deer cap. He joins a group of other farmers in the corner where two tables have been pushed together. The smell of coffee is in the air. Yonder comes the waitress with a smile and a fresh mug. She doesn’t ask but simply pours the mug full of black steaming brew.

 

          All these men are working! What looks like a lazy interruption of the farmers’ work is actually the hard job of waiting. All these farmers know that once their work is done the rest is up to God. The soil has been plowed, and the seed has been sown. Now they settle down to pray for rain and to exercise patience. God is now actively working because no farmer can control the weather. Too much rain can rot the crop, and too much sun can burn it. An early frost can be devastating. Yes, all these men are working hard at talking, drinking coffee, and waiting.

 

          James pictures the Christian as a spiritual farmer. There are seasons to the spiritual life and sometimes it appears that nothing is being done. This is the season that requires patience. It is a time to repair and sharpen the equipment and to sit with others and hope over a cup of coffee.

 

          Here, then, is the secret to endurance. We need to remember that God is trying to produce a harvest of spiritual fruit in our lives. Seeds of “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith” are beginning to sprout in us. Trials and troubles are sometimes needed for the harvest. So, grab a mug of patience, with a side order of hope, and take a seat at the table of waiting.

 

Dear Lord, the signs of harvest are all around us. Help us as we exercise the hard work of patience. AMEN

 

THE BLESSING!

 

Sunday, November 23, 2025

 

The following story is a “Classic” which means you might have seen it before. It is one of my favorites because it really happened to me on a blustery early winter day just before Thanksgiving. I hope you enjoy it and that it prompts you to think about the strangers you may meet today.

 

THE BLESSING!

 

Gal 6:10

10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

 

          My wife and I had gone to Wichita Falls on some business and inevitably we always visit Hobby Lobby and Mardel’s Christian store. The day was blustery with suddenly cold temperatures and freezing rain. While Irene was at Hobby Lobby, I took refuge in Mardel’s and poured myself a cup of free coffee. I was sitting near the front of the store, in a comfortable chair next to the Christmas tree, when I observed a curious thing.

 

          A man entered the store wearing a green parka with the hood pulled up over his head. He was soaked! He carried a black trash bag with mysterious contents. He asked if there was a bathroom and was directed to the back of the store. Then he asked if he could leave his parcel with the clerk near the register. Always accommodating, the clerk told him he could leave his burden with her while he went to the bathroom.

 

          Now, I’m watching all this and thinking that this could be a bomb! Then I dismissed that notion because a bomber would not leave a bomb and then retreat into the building and not from it. While I continued to sip my coffee and ponder, the man returned to retrieve his package.

 

          The clerk offered the man some coffee and he eagerly and gratefully accepted. He walked over to the coffee pot and took a seat next to me. I noticed that he did not fit the homeless model. He was young, clean, and had recently shaved. He had a nice smile and a military haircut. I asked him if he was in the military because Sheppard Air Force base is in Wichita Falls. He answered that he was a Marine. Marines never talk of their service as “former.” I was prompted to speak to him of his salvation, but he said something that stopped me.

 

          He said: “The Lord has been blessing me all day long!” He said this with a smile that nearly glowed. He then told me that he lived in an apartment near Wal-Mart.  I knew that this apartment was a considerable distance to walk and thought I might offer him a ride home. He stopped that thought by saying he had a few stops along the way. There was something about this young man that made you want to help him even though he asked for little.

 

          Then the blessing happened! Another clerk came from the rear of the store with an old golf umbrella. While it was a bit dirty, it was solid. She apologized for its condition and explained that it had been left at the store by a customer. His face lit up with understanding and thanksgiving. I remembered what he had said to me: “The Lord has been blessing me all day long!” Then I thought of a Bible verse …

 

Heb 13:2

2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for there by some have entertained angels unawares.

 

Dear Lord, today may bring opportunities to do good and be a blessing. Don’t let me overlook these. AMEN

 

NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT!

 

Saturday, November 22, 2025

 

NOT WITHOUT A FIGHT!

 

Eph 6:11-13

11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 

          A full suite of armor stands just outside the door of a knife store in our local mall. It is shiny, looks heavy, and has a price tag of over $3,000 dollars! It is built for a fight.

 

          The Devil never takes no for an answer! We can never declare ourselves the complete victor because he never gives up. Our personal struggle will continue until this life is over even though we are assured of a victory at the end. We can never relax our guard against him.

 

          Jesus is the captain of our salvation according to Hebrews 2:10. The word captain is the Greek word archegos which means “a chief leader.” He is the one who will put the enemy to flight. Our own safety requires that we follow Him closely and never venture too far from His leadership.

 

Rom 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

Lord, today we venture forth, clanging our armor with us. We are both cautious and confident because you are our great Captain. AMEN

 

CAPTURED BY HIS LOVE AND MERCY!

 

Friday, November 21, 2025

 

CAPTURED BY HIS LOVE AND MERCY!

 

Ps 139:1-5

139:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.

O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.

2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.

4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.

5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.

 

          This is a powerful image! In fact, my mind pictures a laboratory rat caught in a maze. He is led inescapably to a destination known only by his captor. In this case, however, the captor is not a tormentor but a benevolent guard and guide. He is the Lord of Glory! He is the Creator and sustainer of the universe. His ways are above our ways. As the 6^th verse says, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”

 

          I have often struggled to find a way out of His will because I think it to be in error. Surely, He can’t want me to endure what I am currently enduring! Problems press in on the left and troubles join upon my right hand. I can’t go back, and I can’t climb up. The only way left to me is forward to the fearful unknown. I do not perceive his love and mercy until I reach the appointed place of peace. It is then I see His handiwork and understand His protection and provision.

 

All The Way My Savior Leads Me

By Fanny Crosby

 

All the way my Savior leads me

What have I to ask beside?

Can I doubt His tender mercy,

Who through life has been my Guide?

Heav'nly peace, divinest comfort,

Here by faith in Him to dwell!

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well;

For I know, whate'er befall me,

Jesus doeth all things well.

 

Dear Lord, forgive my struggle against your efforts to lead me. I am ignorant of what is best for me and too foolish to submit. I have learned that your way is best but learning that has not been easy nor is it easy yet. Thank you for trapping me in your love and mercy. AMEN

 

THOU ART MY HOPE!

 

Thursday, November 20, 2025

 

THOU ART MY HOPE!

 

Ps 71:5

5 For thou art my hope, O Lord God: thou art my trust from my youth.

 

          Hope looks back! The Psalmist was now an old man. Twice he mentions it (See Psalm 71: 9 and 18). When you are discouraged and worried, look back and count your blessings. Remind yourself of the faithfulness of the Lord.

 

          Hope sings! Verses 22 and 23 indicates that singing is done in spite of the “great and sore troubles” mentioned in verse 20. I am reminded of Paul and Silas singing in the dark dungeon while their hands and feet were fastened on the stocks. What power that produced! Acts 16 tells us that their hands and feet were loosed and there was a great earthquake that opened the prison doors. Ah! Let’s sing!

 

          Hope looks to the future! The psalmist looked to the future and moved from "You are my hope" (v. 8) to "I will hope continually" (v. 14; see Ps 36:5; 47:10 ). The future is secure when Jesus is your Lord. The word translated "hope" in verse 14 means a long and patient waiting in spite of delays and disappointments. If we trust God, then the trials of life will work for us and not against us.

 

         A. W. Tozer once said: “We can look backward in time until the dim past vanishes, then turn and look into the future until thought and imagination collapse from exhaustion and God is at both points, unaffected by either.”

   

Ps 20:7

7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

 

Dear Lord, we have seen your mighty hand in the past and we are given hope for the future. Let us now look up and see your righteousness reaching to the heavens. AMEN

 

TARES AMONG THE WHEAT!

 

Tuesday, November 18, 2025

 

TARES AMONG THE WHEAT!

 

Matt 13:24-25

24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

 

          The parable of the tares is found in Matthew 13:25-40. The wheat represents true believers, and the tares represents pretenders. It is most difficult to tell them apart. Their appearance is very similar, but the proof is in the eating.

 

          Dr. Albert Barnes explains: By "tares" is probably meant a degenerate kind of wheat, or the darnel-grass growing in Palestine. In its growth and form it has a strong resemblance to genuine wheat; but it either produces no grain, or that of a very inferior and hurtful kind. Probably it comes near to what we mean by "chess." It was extremely difficult to separate it from the genuine wheat, on account of its similarity while growing.

         

The "taste" is bitter, and when eaten separately, or even when diffused in ordinary bread, it causes dizziness, and often acts as a violent emetic. Barn-door fowls also become dizzy from eating it. In short, it is a strong soporific (a sedative)  poison, and must be carefully winnowed, and picked out of the wheat grain by grain, before grinding, or the flour is not healthy.

 

Grain by grain! That’s how it is with our daily lives, isn’t it? We sow good things into our mind, heart, and lives but later we find things that are bitter and sickening. Where did those things come from? The enemy has sowed tares among our wheat.

 

Sift your life and carefully pluck away those things that are bitter. Better yet, ask God to sift your life and purify it.

 

Luke 22:31-32

31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

 

Dear Lord, within the good wheat of my life grows tares. Despite my best efforts, I find within me things that must make you sick. Pluck them from me grain by grain. Purify me, I pray. AMEN

 

NOT OF THIS WORLD!

 

Monday, November 17, 2025

 

NOT OF THIS WORLD!

 

John 15:17-19

17 These things I command you, that ye love one another.

18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.

19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

 

          Christianity began as an insignificant baker’s dozen plodding the streets of Jerusalem. As far as the world was concerned, this little band was hardly worth a second glance. Their leader was a poor carpenter of questionable birth who had a strange personal magnetism. He attracted a handful of societal misfits who wandered the streets and generally made themselves a nuisance. The world hated them. Their leader was eventually crucified, one follower committed suicide, and one-by-one the rest were dispatched in order.

 

          The spread of Christianity can only be described as “otherworldly.” Its growth doesn’t make much sense and what was once an obscure cult is now a worldwide force. But the bonding of Christianity and American culture is an uncomfortable alliance where both sides question whether it is appropriate to be part of the other. As long as Christianity doesn’t demand culture to radically change, the alliance is friendly, but when Christianity proves itself to be truly Christian the relationship is strained. The world still hates us!  John Gambold said: "The laws of Christ condemn a vicious world and goad it to revenge!"

 

          Settle it in your heart that the world will continue to resist true Christianity. You will constantly be required to choose between pleasing the world or pleasing God. You will never find a comfortable middle ground. Stop trying to compromise with the culture because the world can offer you nothing beyond this life. Only Jesus can do that.

 

John 16:33

33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

 

Dear Lord, the world is a disappointing place because I am not from here. I don’t belong here, and I’m not staying here! The discomfort that I feel is due to my being displaced from my true home. Come quickly and take me to be with you. AMEN

 

A COMFORT TO ME!

 

Sunday, November 16, 2025

 

A COMFORT TO ME!

 

Col 4:11

11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellow workers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

 

          The word comfort as used here is not the same word as is used when Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit. Here the Greek word as well as the English word is paregoric! I suppose you must be of a certain vintage to remember your mother giving you a dose of paregoric. I remember it as a cloudy clear liquid that she mixed with water and had me drink it. It settled the stomach and, I suppose, settled the child. You can’t buy it anymore without a prescription because it is a narcotic. My childhood survived many such things that are now considered dangerous.

 

Jesus Justus was a Jewish believer who served with Paul, but we know nothing about him. The name Jesus (Joshua) was a popular Jewish name, and it was not unusual for Jewish people to have a Roman name as well (Justus). He represents all those faithful believers who serve God but receive little recognition. These were Paul’s paregoric! They eased his pain and settled him down. Oh! How very important are these unsung faithful ones!

 

You may not realize it, but your acts of kindness and cooperation may ease someone’s pain and settle their nerves. You also may be totally unaware that you are the source of someone’s comfort. God bless you for your steadfast faithfulness for it is a great comfort to me and to others.

 

Dear Jesus, thank you for the many unheralded servants that provide soothing and comfort. May I learn to be one of them. AMEN