seasons

Seasons
2/2/06
For a ministry to know what to do, it would be good to know what season the Lord is in. We are to keep in step with Him, and not He with us. His presence is to bring us closer to Him when He draws closer to us. It’s all about Him.

During the time of separation of wheat from tares, it is not a season of out-reach. It is not a season of conversion. It is a season of commitment to the Lord’s values. Those values found in the hearts of man will be manifest. The properties which make wheat into a useable grain will come forth, and those which make a weed lack grain will also come forth. There is no more time to convert the heart from a place where bad seed grows into a heart where good seed grows.

In the time of separating wheat from tares, there are certain properties, or traits which mark the tares. We see them in Rev 21:8 as those people who will not inherit the new heaven and earth. We read about the cowardly and unbelieving, which seem to be attitudes of the heart we identify with from time to time, working these out in the Lord towards the end that we have faith and courage. Then there are murderers, vile people, sexually immoral, and those who practice magic arts. There are idolaters and people who lie. Whether or not we can identify with any of those who do not enter into God’s inheritance, they are people who have not overcome (vs 7). How do people fail to receive their inheritance?

There are many parables in which God’s people are seen to obtain, or fail to obtain their inheritance. In the parable of the 10 virgins, some prepared for the time ahead by taking extra oil. In the parable of the sower and the seeds, some had soil which gave a good harvest, bringing understanding of God’s ways. In the parable of the talents, some made gains through what the Lord gave them, and He even gave them more. In these parables we see that the servants of God sowed into God’s kingdom, or sowed into their flesh. The tragic consequence of sowing into our flesh is that we will not have the singleness of heart, nor the strength of godly character to stand in the day of evil. These people will shrink back (cowardice), make excuses (lie), lack faith (unbelief) . . . little by little the little foxes will spoil their vineyards.

The parable which seems to come to my mind often is the story of the wedding banquet. It is a season some are “in step” with, and others are oblivious to. We read that God’s servants want to serve and obey Him, inviting other friends of God to be nourished and celebrate at His table. But their hearts were full of the busyness of their ministries and life itself. Why didn’t the friends which were invited recognize what season they were in? The parable in Mt 22:5 tells us that each person was busy with “his field . . . his business”. Personal ownership. They were busy with what we know as “mine”. They did not recognize that it was a season for nourishing the Body of Christ. In Lk 14:18-20 the wording indicates that men were buying oxen, or a field, indicating the beginning of new ministry. Or they were marrying, indicating a new partnership. They were busy with business obligations and not willing to enter into a season where Jesus nourishes them.

This is one reason why faith falls short in ministries and people; not being in step with God’s seasons; not abiding in His rest and ceasing from our own labors. Buying and selling, being obligated to ventures outside of God’s seasons, will steal our time of preparation before God’s next season. I believe what causes the greatest heartache in these parables is being left out of what these people thought they would be doing.

Focusing on “mine” causes the heart to grow cold, as my husband Dave pointed out. This brings up the parable in which God’s servants are to care for those under them. Some grew tired and abused their brethren. But those servants who saw God’s seasons cared for those brethren entrusted to them, giving them their portion in due season. The needs of their brethren were their concern. Waiting for what would be “mine” was not.

I believe that this is a season of strengthening what we have, of maintaining what we do, and of serving the brethren. If we obligate ourselves to new projects and do not tend to the needs of the brethren, we are not serving He who entrusted us with all we have. If we are serving our brethren, tending to their woundedness, and bringing nourishment to their lives, He will be pleased. I would like to encourage us all to walk in God’s seasons so that we will be prepared (Rev 19:7).