Plant Today, Then Be Patient for the Harvest

Current Teaching Series Financial Fitness

Plant Today, Then Be Patient for the Harvest Rick Warren — July 21, 2018 "Let us 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). The time to start planting is now. I talk to people all the time who say, "One of these days, I'm going to . . . ." They're going to serve more one of these days. Or when they retire. Or when they get a raise. They're going to increase their giving one of these days. "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 spouts 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 as part of a process. And because it takes time, "Let us 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. You didn't get the way you are financially overnight. You took years to mess things up, and it's going to take a while to put things back together. There is a time of delay between sowing and reaping. 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 need have you been grieving over? Maybe you've lost your job. Maybe you've lost your health. Maybe you've lost a loved one. Maybe you've lost your savings. Maybe you've lost half of your retirement in the last few years. Maybe you've lost your dream. Mourning is okay; moaning is not. Instead of moaning, 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.PLAY today's audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk About It If you could give financial advice to your younger self, what would you say? What can you learn from your financial mistakes that you can apply to your situation now? What would you have time to start doing today to move forward with your finances if you were able to let go of your past mistakes and financial failures? What do you want to receive more of in your life? How can you plant that seed and give yourself away today so that you will one day reap your own harvest?

Our Gift: Financial Fitness Study Kit God gives us important advice about how to give, save, invest, and spend. And these are the principles Pastor Rick Warren shares in his Financial Fitness study kit. In this 5-session video study Pastor Rick will help you . . . • Understand and apply God's advice about your money. • Do more with your money than you ever thought possible. • Feel greater peace through financial freedom. LEARN MORE

Complete Audio Series (Purchase) Includes 5 full-length teaching CDs from Pastor Rick's series Financial Fitness. LEARN MORE

Series Summary Session 1: The Foundation of Financial Health Session 2: The Law of Contentment Session 3: The Law of Sowing and Reaping Session 4: Habits of Financial Health Session 5: Where Best to Invest PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He's the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered around the world. This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences | Unsubscribe