My house is located on a gravel road with black walnut trees lining the road. These walnuts were planted a couple decades ago by my father-in-law, from whom we purchased this site. I’ve carefully pruned these walnuts so an eight-foot log could be harvested from as many as possible one day.
Last year was the first really good harvest of walnuts. Because Anita and I aren’t into cracking black walnuts, we just let them lie and mowed over them. There were so many it was a real mess. The roller on my garden tractor drug them all over the yard. Now, this year, there are only about 7 0r 8 nuts on the 11 trees on our frontage.
I wondered what the deal was, so did a little research on walnut production. I discovered that certain strains of black walnut produce in alternate years. They produce a few nuts in the off years, but primarily every second year.
That reminded me that Jesus said that we would reap in due season if we faint not. There is a season to sow, and a season to reap. And sometimes the season to reap is not when we expect it. It arrives in due season.
When is the last time you felt like you missed a promised blessing, but it showed up later?
Tags: delay, fruit, harvest, walnut
In 1871 evangelist Dwight L. Moody preached a series of sermons on the life of Christ in old Farwell Hall in Chicago for five nights. As he was following the life of Christ from the cradle to the judgment hall, I said that he made the greatest blunder he ever made in his life.
With the firebell (a common sound) ringing in the background, Mr. Moody finished his sermon with the question: “What shall I do with Jesus?” He said, “Now, I want you to take the question with you and think it over, and next Sunday I want you to come back and tell me what you are going to do with Him.”
That night the Great Chicago Fire destroyed Farwell Hall as well as the church Moody pastored. He never saw that crowd again. And he learned a valuable lesson. Moody never again closed a meeting without an invitation to accept Christ.
When have you delayed something until it was too late?
Tags: delay, mistakes, Moody