Monday, May 30, 2011

The first foundation on which to build our farming career

1 Corinthians 3:11 "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."



We will see that Jesus is the Word of God and all our efforts to be excellent farmers must be built on the Foundation of Jesus and His Word. Jesus said that He only does what His Father does, and that He has sent us the Holy Spirit to help us and to teach us and to apply His Word to life.

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.(John 14: 6)

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 3: 11)

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy (pre-eminence). For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1: 15-20 )

"There is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all." (Colossians 3: 11)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men." (John 1: 1-3)

“ I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (John28: 8)

“But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14: 26)

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16 - 17)




"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2: 6)

"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." (Romans 8: 18-22 )

"As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands." (Isaiah 55: 10-12)

The saved and unsaved, and all things seen and unseen are in the Kingdom of God. God created everything and has given all authority in heaven and on earth to His Son the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We see that the Father has given Jesus the pre-eminence in all of creation and all things hold together in Him. Without Jesus everything would fall apart and there would be total chaos. On the earth there is turmoil, suffering and decay because of man’s rebellion and disobedience, so the Father sent Jesus to reconcile to Himself all things, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.

We see that Jesus is all and in all! He is in every particle in the universe, even in the unsaved people. Jesus has given them life, and without Him they would be spiritually dead or would not exist at all. Sadly because of the Fall of man, there is corruption in the universe.

The whole of creation is groaning for the sons of God to be revealed. Through faith in the finished work of the resurrected Christ, we have been accepted and adopted as the sons of God, and as His sons, we are co-heirs with Jesus, seated with Him in the heavenly realms, ruling and reigning with Him.

So we believers are the sons and daughters of the Father, and when we are revealed, even the mountains and hills will burst into song and the trees will clap their hands. Whether this is only going to happen when Jesus comes back, I am not sure, but it does indicate how important we, as God’s sons and daughters, are in God’s plan for the rebuilding and restoration of our nations.

The point here is that we will never reach the full potential we have as farmers or teachers, unless we build our whole farming and teaching careers on the Lord Jesus Christ, who reconciles and integrates everything.

If we put Jesus first and obey Him, we will lead the way and be salt and light to the world. “The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.(Deuteronomy 28:13) We pray that God’s people called by His name will turn back to Him in Unity and Wholeheartedness. May we farmers model this turning from our ways to God’s Ways, firstly to God’s people, who then take it in a focussed and united model to the world.

No comments: