Perhaps earlier on, or at another time, gates have been opened, welcoming the rams in amongst the ewes, the bucks amongst the does, the bull amongst the cows, or the stallion in amongst the mares.
And at the end of the day all farmers lean over the fence and ponder what might be the other end of the season; willing the seed of plant and animal to be fruitful and multiply. Commanding the soil and the creatures they've put on it to, "Grow! Live! Remain! Endure! Be what you naturally have been made to be!"
After all, every farmer has spent his or her time preparing the paddock and filling the flock with food for strength and fertility. At the end of the day farmers want grain to be grain; they want cows to be cows; and ewes to be ewes. Farmers give the best with the intention of receiving fruitfulness; so that which lives on the land might produce a bountiful harvest, and a multitude of young livestock.
Jesus tells us… You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15:16 ESV)
Just like the farmer who owns a farm chooses what he wishes to do with each of his paddocks, our Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit chooses us. You and I are God's going concern, we are the flock of the Father, we are the fertile fields, chosen to bear fruit, fruit that abides and lasts forever.
But as every farmer knows, things don't always turn out as one would wish. The rains don't come or they don't stop coming. The crops get crook and die from disease. A bumper harvest is burnt to nothing or destroyed by wind or waves of locust swarms. Or one finds out after waiting for the best part of a year the bull is impotent and the cows are barren, or the crow, the fox, or the freezing night stops lambs from living.
Nevertheless, this is not the same for you and me. A farmer may choose his farm and livestock to bear fruit for him, but our Heavenly Father goes to greater lengths than any farmer does with his farm. You see when things begin to go wrong on the land we might go and get the opinion of an agronomist and others, but God does what no farmer can do. He places his life in us. From himself he sends his Son and the Holy Spirit implanting his seed in us. You and I carry the very being of God, whereas even if a farmer works himself to death for his land and livestock, these things will never bear the being of the farmer who wills them to live.
There is also a difference between us and our farms. When the season turns out to be perfectly timed, the rains, the sunshine, and the heat come at the right time, and a healthy harvest has gone exactly to schedule, we see a fruitful return. But despite God graciously giving us all we need, filling us with the seed of his faithfulness, implanting in us his perfect will to be eternally fruitful. Still we struggle to be what he has made us to be – perfect and holy! Why is this?
Here we're called to step back and see the big picture. Despite God giving us his Son, Jesus Christ; who has perfectly kept all the commandments of the Law for you and me, in exchange taking all our imperfection, on himself, on the cross, and giving us his holiness and perfection so we have access as children to the Father, we still doubt. The originality of our human Adam still remains. The world around us still appears to offer sweeter fruit. Satan slithers in to make us doubt the Word of God and the seed of holiness planted in us. First, when we were baptised into Jesus' death and resurrection, and as we continue to hear his holy perfecting word spoken.
Know this is the devil's deadly deception! He wants us to think the grass is greener over the fence because he knows the seed of God planted in us is almighty, powerful, lifesaving, germinating faith and holiness worked by the Holy Spirit who continually seeks to deliver us into the forgiveness of the cross. You see many today inside the church are succumbing to the his temptation; believing they have to give up too much to be a Christian — that life won't be fun doing all that church stuff. But I challenge anyone who believes this to step back and have a good look at what one must really give up to become or continue living as a Christian. And you will find it's all the ugly stuff that separates from God, leads to uncertainty, hopelessness, individualism and greed, hurt and the fracturing of relationships.
And why do we know this is the devil's deception? Because the more you seek to abide and remain and be the bearers of God's fruit the more you're attacked by the devil and his evil entourage from within and from without! This is why when you seek to remain in church, pray, care for others, or study God's word you're so easily distracted and torn from focusing on God and his good things. Also notice when you fail in these things the voice inside that tells you it's not worth it, you're a failure, you're not good enough for God, or a thousand other accusations from the accuser, the devil.
But just like the farmer who wills his crops and his flocks to yield their fruit, God lovingly commands us to do the same. But how do we do it? The secret is to remain in very things from which the devil is tempting us to depart. In this way we can see through the devil and use his accusations to the glory of God. When he accuses you allow it to drive you to the cross, to our Father's forgiveness, which we have through being baptised into Jesus Christ.
We can say to Satan, "Thankyou for showing me my sin. You want me to hide it, or justify it, so you can continue accusing me with it, but because of what Jesus Christ has done and continues to do for me, I'm going to confess what you rightly accuse me of, before my Lord, and let the light of his love take its power away!"
In this we fulfil what Jesus promises in John 14:12–14
"Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it. (John 14:12–14 ESV)
You see God has placed in each of us a new existence, a listening being, the faithfulness and forgiveness of Jesus himself! God the Father continues to send the Holy Spirit when you hear the word of God. Hearing and receiving enables you to remain, abide, stand, persevere, endure, and continue receiving what he has given you from the day of his death and resurrection – your baptism into his death and the freedom of daily repentance.
God has germinated his Son in you, let the Holy Spirit grow him in you, let love be. Therefore remain and receive this life. Believe, endure, love, ignore evil, because the victory of eternity has already been made yours! Amen.
Walk in the light, as he is in the light, have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Amen.
