Recently the following verse gripped me – “He . . . will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10) A harvest is something we gather after the soil has been prepared, and the seeds have been sown, watered, grown and nourished. Then, when the time is right, we can collect the harvest and enjoy it. The verse above is written in the context of Paul teaching the church and individuals to give generously.
What blessings has our Lord blessed us with? It is GOD who supplies the seed and talents and gifts to us. It is HE who gives an abundance of what we need, thus what we receive and own, belong to Him. Even if it is tempting to hold on to what we have, generosity opens our eyes to the rich blessings of God. The more we give, the more we receive. We can NEVER outgive our God! When we read 2 Cor. 9:6 – 12, we notice that thanksgiving is included in the giving and receiving. Thanksgiving and gratitude produce praise and joy, which are participants of righteousness.
Isaiah 61:10 says, “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord. My soul will exult in my God; For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness…” Oh what mercy, grace and love – to be “wrapped (and clothed) with His robe of righteousness!”
In Job 29:14, Job said, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me…” and Ephesians 4:24 states, “…put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” Our new selves are part of this divine, righteous clothing which our Lord gives to us. It is a part of having the assurance that we are born again and belong to Jesus. 1 John 2:29 says, “If you know that He (Jesus) is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” Abraham was a righteous man of God. Genesis 15:6 tells us that “…he (Abraham) believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness.”
Blessed Father God, our merciful and righteous Lord – Thank You that your Word says, ““But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (Jesus in Matt. 6:33) Help us to seek YOU and Your righteousness first and foremost. Thank you so much for the seeds of righteousness you give to us when we surrender our lives to You. Thank You that You nurture us and grow us and give us more than enough, so that we in turn can bless others. Please enlarge our harvests. Thank you that just like Ruth harvested the leftovers from harvest fields, so that she and Naomi would have enough food, just so others can harvest from us when we overflow with Your righteous purity, holiness, and love. We love and adore You, our Good Shepherd, Saviour and King of kings!
Myrtle Turunen