Friday, August 17, 2018
Harvest of Righteousness
Perhaps you can relate, but we've been having some difficulty with sibling peace! I was in a friend's house recently and saw James 3:18 on her chalkboard and knew I needed to come home and look it up and share with my kids!
Actually on our second morning of school, we read James 3:13-18, "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such "wisdom" does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."
I don't know about you, but we need this sowing of peace among our children!
We talked a lot about what selfish ambition is and the differences between earthly wisdom and wisdom from heaven. We talked about how sowing other things brings disorder and really how when we plant something we reap more than just one of that thing we planted. If we plant selfishness and strife, we reap a multitude of those things.
We also pondered together how we are each responsible for our own actions and cannot control the outcomes or attitudes of others. But when one is grouchy and unpleasant, it makes it hard to stay peaceful and kind. Even that is sowing.
Oh, how I want order and peace in my home and yes, this harvest of righteousness. I love that phrase and it instantly reminded me of another verse and lesson learned in our home. You can read more about this in three parts here, here and here.
Hebrews 12:11, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."
This prompted me to see if this phrase appeared anywhere else in the Bible. There was one more occurrence in 2 Corinthians 9:10, "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness."
A harvest of righteousness - yes, this is what I want in my heart and in my home, in the lives of my children and to have my talents and treasure used for this purpose.
What do you think of when you hear that phrase? How does it encourage you?
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1 comment:
I'm so glad I read this. Yes!!! Sibling peace. And, these verses in James 3 are right on.
Thank you!! I'll be revisiting this post!
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