Fruitfulness and Harvest

Dear brethren,

I leave in 3 hours for Romania for 12 days; my heart has been stirred again this week as I have been reading and meditating in Scripture, to be more fruitful and see more of a harvest in kingdom labors. As I read Romans 1 again this week, I was much stirred by Paul's words found in ch. 1:13, where he says in 13b: "that I might have some fruit among you."

Paul's goal expressed here- his desire and longing- was fruitfulness and seeing a spiritual harvest. The ESV translates this phrase: "that I may reap some harvest among you, as well as among the rest of the Gentiles."

Should we desire, pray for and even expect God to give increase, to produce fruit, and grant a harvest? If Jesus's words are to be taken at full face value and truthfulness, then yes, we should ever be doing this. Our Lord said in John 14: 7: "By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and that your fruit should remain." NOT just praying that His will be done and remaining passive about results, BUT also desiring, asking for, and expecting from our Heavenly Father a harvest.

The harvest might be any number of things: conversions, outpourings of the Spirit, the Word coming with power in preaching and teaching, the lives of believers being transformed, opened gospel doors, and direct advancement of the kingdom in situations. The harvest is up to God Himself- what He purposes to send and purposes to do.

But we have a warrant given in Scripture to have no less of a goal than for a harvest that would glorify our Father in heaven. Anything less does not glorify Him to the extent He is to be glorified.

So over these next 12-13 days, if and when we come to your mind, please lift up prayers to our Heavenly Father that He would give harvest in Romania and Ukraine. The One we are praying to and serving has called Himself "The Lord of the harvest."

- Mack T.