Farmers – Part 1

Good day to each of you—He is risen—Never mind COVID-19—He is Risen! AMEN!

Christ has defeated death and sin and He is the Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world.

Yes, we have chaos and turmoil, but we know that we are saved and that a “new day” will approach with no more sorrows, bad health and death to name just a few things.

Don’t live your life in fear—Make a joyful noise to the Lord and ask him for protection as you begin the day—Turn to Psalm 121 and read the following in this time of trouble and you will see that help comes from the Lord who is the maker of Heaven and Earth, God  watches over you and will NEVER slumber nor sleep, The Lord will keep you from all harm and will watch your coming and going both now and forevermore.

God said it, you best believe in it and that settles it!

Before we turn to farmers, take a moment and read an article from Jo Anne Mead on Senior Citizens—Senior Citizens are constantly being criticized for every conceivable deficiency of the modern world. However, upon reflection, we would like to point out that it was NOT the senior citizens who took:

The melody out of music,
The pride out of appearance,
The courtesy out of driving,
The romance out of love,
The commitment out of marriage,
The responsibility out of parenthood,
The togetherness out of family,
The learning out of education,
The service out of patriotism,
The Golden Rule from rulers,
The nativity out of the cities,
The civility out of behavior,
The refinement out of language,
The dedication out of employment,
The prudence out of spending,
The ambition out of achievement or
God out of government and school.

And we certainly aren’t the ones who eliminated patience and tolerance from personal relationships and interactions with others! And, we do understand the meaning of patriotism, and remember those who fought and died for our country. Just look at the Seniors with tears in their eyes and pride in their hearts as stand at attention with their hand over their hearts!

YES, I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN!

I’m the life of the party… even if it lasts until 8 p.m.  I’m very good at opening childproof caps… with a hammer. I’m awake many hours before my body allows me to get up. I’m smiling all the time because I can’t hear a thing you’re saying. I’m sure everything I can’t find is in a safe and secure place, somewhere. I’m wrinkled, saggy, lumpy, and that’s just my left leg. I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps. Yes, I am a SENIOR CITIZEN and I think I am having the time of my life!

I hope you enjoyed the above article—My wife and I are both senior citizens and we enjoy the benefits of being senior citizens and the time of our lives.

Let’s turn our hearts and minds to farmers—Farmers are the backbone of this country—Our first farmer was Adam who gave us weeds—Thank you Adam!

I guess God gave us weeds because we do our best thinking when we are on our knees pulling weeds.

Farmers should receive a “BIG THANK YOU” for raising the foods we eat in our country and our country is “the breadbasket of the world” for that is how God created the U.S.A.

Let us not take for granted other countries who produce various foods and contribute to our pallet, but our country has received the above distinction. And yet, it seems that many of our farmers have gotten away from God’s principles on how to cultivate the land.

Our farmers are no different than workers in any other field as our primary purpose of production has flipped from the plan of God to supply men with the needs and comforts of life to making the means of enriching the few at the expense of the many.

God said that one day in seven is to be holy unto God—not to be a day of pleasure. Rest and revitalization to the body and mind was the purpose not just for man but for animals who did labor and for the land to rest on the seventh year.

God says that at the end of every six years, the seventh year was a year of rest in which men were to cease from their labors and devote that time to travel and pleasure. Remember, we must keep holy the Sabbath days of that seventh year.

This sounds great, but what does this have to do with farmers—Turn to Deuteronomy 11:13-15—(FF) So it will happen, if you attentively listen to my commands that I command you today, and love your Ever-Living God, and serve Him with all your heart, and with all your life, that I will give rain upon your land at the season of sprouting, and of ripening, and you shall harvest your corn, and your wine, and your oil. I will also give you herbage upon your fields for your cattle, that you may eat and be satisfied.

Folks, here is the criteria that our farmers must follow—whether you have a backyard garden, garden plot, corn field, or lots of land to produce, then we must attentively listen, love and serve our Ever-Living God to his exact words.

Now, turn with me to Exodus 23: 10-12: (FF) For six years you shall sow the earth, and gather its produce, but in the seventh you shall manure it, and spread it out, and the destitute of your people shall eat, and the rest of the animals of the field shall eat. You shall do the same with your six vineyards and olive plantations. Six days you shall do all your business, but the seventh day you shall rest, so that your ox and your ass may take comfort, and your servants and foreigners refresh themselves.

Yes, this was given to the Israelite people, but the Bible is just as right today as it was then, and this is the law for our people to adhere and put into place. Fellow farmer, whether professional or novice, this must be followed and for those following, they will receive the blessings and not the curses. Re-read Deuteronomy 11:13-15—(FF) for God says what he will provide us if we do exactly as He says. Do you wish to test God or take him at his word? As a man once said, In God we trust, all others pay cash!

Faith comes into play and God will always provide—Has God ever broken one promise? Broken his word? The poor, the destitute, the penniless would have food to eat and our food problem would be solved completely.

Turn Leviticus 19:9,10 (FF) And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not continue cutting to the sides of your field, cutting and gleaning; you shall not cut the gleanings. And you shall not strip your vineyards; nor shall you glean the scatterings of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor, and the foreigner. I am your Ever-Living God.

When reading the above law, we are caretakers of God’s land and that we are to share and assist those who are poor, destitute or the foreigner in need of food. Laws such as the above show us of God’s generosity to all his creation and that we were meant to adhere and uphold the “Golden Rule”.

Turn to Leviticus 25: 1-7 (FF) The Ever-Living also spoke to Moses in Mount Sinai commanding: —– “Speak to the children of Israel and say to them; — When you arrive in the land that I will give to you, you shall grant the land a rest of rests to the Ever-Living.”

“You shall sow your fields for six years, and prune your vineyards for six years, and then cease to go to them; and in the seventh year there shall be a Rest of Rests for the land to the Ever-Living. You shall not sow your fields, nor prune your vineyards. You shall not reap the self-grown harvest, nor cut off the bunches from your vine. It is a Rest of Rests for the earth. There shall be a rest of the earth to feed it; for you, and for your servant, and for your maid servant, and for your hired laborer, and the foreigners residing with you, and for your cattle and your animals, that are in your country—who shall all be allowed to eat of it.

As you read the above verses, do you see that God would make sure there would be NO crop disease and NO insect devastation if the Law of God was kept. Let us remember that when we are in accordance with God and obey his laws that we receive the blessings which include an abundant yield of all kinds from the land without the curses of crop disease, insect devastation and little or no rain in the spring and fall.

Fellow Christian Farmer and gardener, please read these verses for if we do, the blessings will be as a shower from Heaven. Is it possible? Was it possible for Jonah to be in a whale’s belly for three days? Was it possible for a mere child to kill a giant? Was it possible for three men to survive a furnace fire unscathed? Was it possible for a man to defeat death?

You know the verse, with all things are possible through God. Not just a few, but all things.

Let us explore more about farmers, the law of the land, the use of surplus, who are the caretakers and blessings and the curses.

Please keep those first responders, doctors, nurses, hospital workers, teachers, police and firemen in our thoughts and prayers. In the future, I won’t to do a special lesson on our teachers.

May God Bless You and May You Bless God Always

Best, Jeff