"Its easy to feel discontent when you can barely pay your bills, let alone afford the luxuries of life. When you feel yourself growing discontent, remind yourself that pursuing money is a dead end prospect. Remind yourself that while God won't supply all your wants, HE will supply all your needs. Let love for God rather than the love of money rule your heart!"
-Melissa Dozal
There was something Melissa said that really stuck out, "When you feel yourself GROWING discontent" [Emphasis mine]
I am no farmer, but Jesus used this type of agricultural metaphor often, so this statement hits a deep nerve for followers of Jesus.
Imagine for a second that we are farmers with many different fields. Some fields have "evil" seed and others have "good" seed. Imagine a field with "discontent" seeds the same way there might be tomato seeds. And a field of "brotherly kindness" and another one of "lying" and another field with seeds of "bitterness". Many fields with the possibility to yield many types of fruit.
Now imagine for a second going around watering these fields. Imagine walking past the fields of "love", "peace", "faithfulness", "joy", "goodness", "patience", "kindness", "self-control", "gentleness" and straight for the fields of "hate", "bitterness", "lying", "gossip", "lust" and "discontentment". Then as you look at the vast fields, you begin to water them.
This doesn't make sense, but it's what we do. Out of the type of hearts we have, this is our soul's proclivity. It's like gravity pulling us down and away from the stars.
Too many times we water the fields of "sin". Too many times do we "walk in the counsel of the wicked" and put forth our hardest labor in those places. Too many times do we water the field of "gossip" by betraying close friends with our malicious words. Too many times do we water the field of "lying" by not proclaiming truth and allowing our lives to become a farce. Too many times do we bash on the lack of "good" growth in the fields of our brothers and sisters instead of helping them grow good fruit, meanwhile neglecting our own fields.
Why do we do this? Even after Jesus has rescued us, we still lean towards watering the fields that will destroy us.
Here are two killer truth pills to swallow.
First, those fields will eventually yield it's fruit. Basically that means that those evil decisions you choose everyday will come back to kill you.
"Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature[a]will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."
-Galatians 6:7-10
Be careful what you choose today. This is your life, are you who you wanna be? Well why not? What decisions have you made that led to this? It's not too late to stop watering those fields of "sin". Turn and begin to water the fields of "Good". This is an act of repentance. It's not repentance because repentance is returning to a state of loving and worshipping Jesus, but it is an act of repentance.
Here is the second and greatest smack-in-the-face truth...you ready for it?
The fields of "Good" are not yours, but God's and He will come back to see how well you've taken care of them. If He comes back and the fields are dead, dying or ungrown, then there will be grave repercussions.
"His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest." 'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
-Matthew 25:26-30
Now go back to the top and read Melissa's quote again. Do you feel yourself growing "discontent" instead of growing "peace" and "trust" in God? If you are watering the wrong fields, you will never receive what you hope for. If you begin to water and tend to the right ones, you will be blessed.
But do not forget the most important truth! Even this life is NOT YOURS. God has given it to you so you can water and grow what He has given you. And one day He will come back to see what you have yielded.
What if that Day were Today?
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