The Harvest Key

As a believer, your very calling in this life is to inherit the blessings of God! His blessings are YOUR inheritance, and they’re promised in His Word.

Look at 1 Peter 3:9, “Knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (NKJV). When you consider how infinitely wealthy your Heavenly Father is, you can hardly imagine the amazing inheritance this is meant to be.

And just think of God’s promise in Genesis 12:2: “I will bless you … and you shall be a blessing” (NKJV). Stop for a minute and get ahold of this truth: God is saying to YOU, “I will bless YOU … and YOU shall be a blessing.”

Now perhaps you’re thinking, “Wait a minute. I know that Bible story, and God was talking to Abraham—not me—when He promised that.”

Well, that’s true. But according to Galatians 3, the promises God made to Abraham, He also made to us. This Scripture says that Abraham …

believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham […] that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith […] Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made (vs. 6–7, 14, 16 NKJV).

Do you see why that is so significant? Abraham’s promises are our promises. If you’re a believer today … if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior … then you, too, are Abraham’s seed, and the blessings and promises of Abraham are yours. And like Abraham, as you receive God’s blessings, you can be a blessing to others!

That is part of God’s rich covenant with us! Everything God possesses, we also possess. We have a wonderful inheritance because of who our Father is. But keep in mind that it takes a commitment to His Word to appropriate these blessings. We have to know what His promises are.

Take a look at these six powerful principles of wealth God offers in His Word. They make up what I call the Harvest Key:

1. Giving to God must come first.

“Honor the Lord from your wealth, and from the first of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9–10 NASB).

What a great promise! If we faithfully sow our seeds, God has promised to fill our barns with the resulting harvest!

2. When you seek the Lord first, He will abundantly bless you.

The Bible says concerning King Uzziah, “As long as he sought the Lord, God made him successful” (2 Chronicles 26:5 NASB). And Jesus declares, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you” (Matthew 6:33 NASB). Instead of asking ourselves, “What am I reaping?” we should ask, “What am I seeking?”

3. Don’t give the Lord your leftovers.

According to God’s Word, when we choose to give Him our second best—our leftovers, the things that aren’t important to us—He’s not pleased, and He won’t accept our offerings (Malachi 1:6–10). Whatever we give to the Lord is to be a sacrifice. This touches His heart.

4. Give with a clean, forgiving heart.

Jesus teaches that God will refuse our gifts when we bring Him an offering while we’re at war with another believer: “First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering” (Matthew 5:24 NASB).

5. Don’t give to be recognized by others.

Jesus also tells us that if we practice our righteousness before others to be noticed and applauded, then we will have no reward from our Father in Heaven (Matthew 6:1).

6. Every act of kindness is an investment in eternity.

When we decide to live for others rather than ourselves, we reap great dividends. As Paul writes, “Knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord” (Ephesians 6:8 NASB). Your choice to invest in the lives of others is a treasure more valuable than silver or gold, and God will bless you for your compassion and generosity.

These six principles represent God’s economy—and each of them is radically different from the priorities of the world. Today, read each of them again, asking the Lord to show you how they apply to your life.

The Big and the Small

But, of course, all these truths are based on the premise that we have an intimate and growing relationship with the Lord. No inheritance is given to a person just at random. It’s given to those who have a close connection with the person bestowing the blessings.

Part of our mission at this ministry is to encourage partners to walk in a loving, obedient, covenant relationship with the Lord, spending time with Him in prayer, worshiping Him, and reading the Scriptures each day. We also teach the importance of faithfully sowing seeds as they follow the leading of the Holy Spirit and wait expectantly to reap His supernatural blessings.

But sadly, we often receive letters from those who have neglected their relationship with the Lord. Some are even openly living in sin while still asking God to reward their wrong choices with His blessings. Despite their disobedience, they seem puzzled by why they don’t reap harvest blessings in their lives. They don’t realize that if they want to experience God’s blessings, they must consistently live in a loving, faith-filled, obedient relationship with Him.

Of course, most of us do try to be obedient to God in the big things of life. We don’t murder anyone, don’t have an affair with our neighbor’s spouse, and don’t rob any banks. But all too often, we’re disobedient in small ways: being unkind to loved ones or strangers, watching lust-filled TV programs or movies, gossiping about our friends, or cutting corners on our taxes.

However, God wants us to obey Him in both the big AND the small things. When we do, we will see Him move on our behalf as His Word so beautifully promises: “The Lord will set [us] high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon [us] and overtake [us] (Deuteronomy 28:1–2 NASB).

Friend, as you faithfully obey whatever God is calling you to do, you can trust Him to unlock His amazing goodness in your life. He is your loving Heavenly Father, and you are His child. Know that every act of obedience lessens the distance between you and the harvest you’re waiting for God to supply!

The Lord’s Harvest Key is an eternal principle, and one you can confidently stand upon. As you faithfully and obediently walk in a covenant relationship with Him, you can have great expectations for your future and the wonderful inheritance God has given you!

God bless you!