OCTOBERFAST 2022 – DAY TWENTY-ONE HARVEST WITH A MISSION
Scripture reading: “Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage; who led you through that great and terrible wilderness, in which were fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty land where there was no water; who brought water for you out of the flinty rock; who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He might test you, to do you good in the end—then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” – Deuteronomy 8:11-18
In the 1847 edition of the Christian Remembrancer, edited by William Scott, the writer made a very poignant statement about religion that is worth re-visiting for our devotional today. The writer stated that, “Religion, in its rise, interests us almost exclusively about ourselves; in its progress, it engages us about the welfare of our fellow-creatures; in its more advanced stages, it animates us to consult in all things, and to exalt to the utmost of our power, the honor of our God.” It is so unfortunate that this statement was made about two centuries ago but still resonates in our churches today. We have become so selfish and inward-looking that we think Jesus Christ died for only us. We have become so pre-occupied within the four walls of our beautiful sanctuaries that the Great Commission has become only a cliché that we mutter to ourselves between our coffee breaks and committee meetings. Our ambassadorial positions and ministry of reconciliation are not worth much if we do not consistently extend this great blessing of God in our lives to others outside the church.
In our scripture reading for today, God detailed the great pains He went through to take the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. He reminded the people of the ultimate reason for their wealth or harvest in Deut. 8:17-18 which states, “And beware lest you say in your (mind and) heart, my power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth. But you shall (earnestly) remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day” (Amp). The harvest God gives to His people always has a mission. The mission of the wealth or harvest is not only for “me, myself and I.” The covenant with Abraham to make his descendants more than the sand on the shore and stars in the sky is the underlying reason for the wealth of any believer. It is all about the Kingdom of God! It is heartening to see the great message of prosperity revealed in our generation but unfortunately, it became a display of covetousness and competition for who has the best of the world’s material goods instead of greatly impacting the poor, destitute, and all people with the great message of the gospel. The harvest or wealth of a Christian is worthless if it does not impact the Kingdom of God and the world. There are many rich people in the world who are least concerned about our Lord and His commission for the church. The gospel is free but not cheap. It takes money, time, skill, passion, and myriad resources. to propagate the gospel, and that is the ultimate purpose of our harvest. YOUR HARVEST HAS A MISSION!
It has been about two centuries since the Christian Remembrancer made the statement on the stages of religion. In our generation, things have not changed much; we are still in the elementary stages of religion. We must step out of this basic stage of the church and experience the higher blessing of God by reaching out to our Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and uttermost parts of the world. Henceforth, always ponder on the following from the word of God as you position yourself to receive the divine increase or harvest ahead of you:
- You are blessed to be a blessing to others – Genesis 12:1-2
- It is more blessed to give than to receive – Acts 20:35
- The Lord gives you power to get wealth to establish His covenant and purposes on the earth – Deut. 8:17-18
- When you give to the poor, you lend to God, and He promises to pay you back with interest – Proverbs 19:17
- The definition of pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world – James 1:27
We are eternally grateful to the Lord for ushering us into a season of a divine rising tide that will lift all boats in the Oasis Ecclesia. As you position yourself for increase in all things that pertain to your life and godliness, remember that there is a seed in every fruit that you would receive, and that seed has a mission of blessing others in your circle of influence, your local church, and the world. Congratulations and Happy Octoberfast 2022! “Flow, Oasis of imminent, unprecedented harvest with a mission, flow.”
© 2022 Pastor Dr. Isaac Paintsil,
Sr. Pastor, Christ’s Oasis Ministries International.