Organizing the Inside – Day 273 While Your Seed Is Still In the Barn

June 2, 2012 at 2:00 pm · Filed under Encouragement, Faith, Inspiration, Purpose, Wisdom, Women's Ministry and tagged: Blessings, Haggai, Obedience, Procrastination, Religion and Spirituality, Trusting God

18“Think about this eighteenth day of December, the day when the foundation of the LORD’s Temple was laid. Think carefully. 19I am giving you a promise now while the seed is still in the barn. You have not yet harvested your grain, and your grapevines, fig trees, pomegranates, and olive trees have not yet produced their crops. But from this day onward I will bless you.” Haggai 2:18, 19 (NLT)

God blesses our first steps of obedience.
As soon as the foundation was laid, God encouraged the people by recognizing their obedience. He blessed their obedience as soon as the first step was taken. God wants your obedience and He will send encouragement and motivation along the way. He also wants to bless you before your obedience is completely fulfilled.

Consider the most recent thing that God told you to do.
Did you do it? If you answered not yet, that is likely the same as no. God wants to reward your life with the fruits of obedience. The best of God’s rewards for your life are found in obedience. I won’t dispute, that you can get saved and do nothing more and still get into heaven. Why would you want to get saved and not experience all that God has on this side of heaven?  Jesus said, “…I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”  I’m encouraging you to say yes to God’s will and experience more of the rich blessings that are found when living your life God’s way instead of your own. Our love for God causes us to want to do more and be more like Him, and that won’t happen if you don’t follow through on what comes next, after salvation.

Procrastination is nothing more than an excuse.
Okay, so God told you what He wanted you to do, but you still have yet to follow through. When will you simply say yes to God’s and do it? Did the Lord tell you “Oh, by the way you can get started on my will any old time you feel up to it”? What to do is not some great mystery, and your purpose is not a hidden secret. It’s right there inside your heart. Don’t put off obeying God anymore. Fear and work, people and responsibilities often become excuses for not obeying God. Maybe God has told you to do something and you’ve decided to do it, but not until your child graduates from school, the cat dies, or your whatever is wherever, whenever…. I urge you to reconsider. We often are very creative at convincing ourselves that prompt obedience is optional.  Just take the first step and simply lay the foundation.

God is giving you His promise while the seed is still in the barn.
He wants to teach you to trust Him with your whole heart. Your future is in His hands it’s best to do things His way. He wants you and everyone who is watching your life to know that the Lord God Almighty is faithful to those who serve Him.  Question: Is beginning more important than finishing? I’d suggest probably not, remember everything that was ever finished had to have a beginning. Don’t allow yourself to negotiate with the truth. If God spoke to your heart, that first step moves you one step closer to fulfilling His plan for your life. Total surrender equals complete fulfillment.

Go back to the last thing God told you to do and tell God yes.
Next take the first small step and do it. Then mark that day on your calendar, and just as God told the people, “From this day forward I will bless you.” Trust God to do as He said and bless you before you finish, because you trusted Him and took the first step.

Here’s a short article related to this same subject of obedience

• Obedience (simplifiedtheology.wordpress.com)

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