Hey guys!  How are you hanging in there?  Have you started online school?

Today we are reading John 4…still…I know.  It’s a long chapter!

Read John 4:31-54

Jesus is talking a lot about the word harvest.  He says the fields are ripe for gathering fruit.

Do you know what a harvest is?

Have you ever gone to a blackberry farm, or a strawberry farm?  We have those in Oklahoma, and it’s really fun when it’s harvest time.  You can go out and pick a bunch of ripe fruit.  It’s exciting.  And tasty.

It’s fun to think that something so delicious came from a little seed that was planted and cared for.

Jesus is making a comparison for us.  Much like he always does.  He loves to make spiritual comparisons to physical things.  He must know that helps our brains get spiritual concepts.

So, Jesus is saying that we (and HE!) plant seeds in people’s lives.  Seed planting looks like – telling others about God, praying for them, serving them, making others dinner.  There are a million different ways to plant the seeds of God’s love in other’s lives.

Then, Jesus is describing how we care for the seeds.  We show others how to worship and spend time with God.  Jesus also speaks into their hearts.  This is caring for the seed..watering it, removing the weeds (pulling up sin by the roots).

Lastly, the fruit blooms!  This is the harvest.  The harvest can look so many ways, but the main fruit in the harvest is when someone gives their life to Jesus.

Does that make sense?

My 12 year old son, during our prayer time felt like God gave him a picture in his mind.  He wrote it down for me and told me I could share.  He said, “God gave him the example of popcorn.  It’s hard on the outside but when you add heat and light, it’s soft insides show outside and the hard shell is broken.”

I thought this was AMAZING!

Do you like to eat popcorn? This is a great way to see in the physical something that is spiritual!

Right now, we are going thru some HEAT.  We are having to stay at home.  Do school at home.  Cook at home.  Not see friends.   But, I think what God was talking to Reese about was that when you are in a hard time (the heat), and you let God come in (the light), he will crack your hard heart (the kernel) and your soft insides will show on the outside.

This is so beautiful.

I’m never looking at popcorn the same.

Maybe go make yourself some.  And pray that God will show your soft insides on the outside…with his light in the middle of the heat.