Prioritizing Godliness: Cultivating a Bountiful Spiritual Harvest

 

Summary

In Isaiah 28:25, we find a profound lesson in the wisdom of the husbandman, who is guided by God in his agricultural endeavors. This passage serves as a metaphor for our spiritual lives, urging us to discern and prioritize what is truly important. Just as the farmer knows to plant the principal wheat, we too must identify and cultivate the principal aspects of our spiritual journey. God, who instructs the farmer in the ways of the land, is also eager to guide us in the tillage of our lives, teaching us to sow to the Spirit and reap eternal life.

We are all spiritual husbandmen, tasked with the cultivation of our souls. Some may be negligent, allowing weeds to overtake their fields, while others may be fickle, abandoning their spiritual work. Yet, for those who seek to be faithful stewards, it is crucial to seek God's guidance and wisdom. The farmer's discretion in choosing the principal wheat over lesser crops like cumin or dill is a call for us to prioritize godliness and the pursuit of holiness above all else.

True godliness is the principal wheat, the most necessary and profitable pursuit. It is the bread that sustains our souls, the most fitting food for our spiritual nourishment. To glorify God and enjoy Him forever is the ultimate aim, surpassing all worldly desires and pursuits. This spiritual pursuit is not only the most necessary but also the most profitable, yielding eternal rewards and a life of true fulfillment.

In our spiritual journey, we must give our principal care to the principal crop. This means dedicating our best thoughts, efforts, and love to our relationship with God. Our faith should be the guiding principle in every aspect of our lives, influencing our actions, desires, and ambitions. By doing so, we align ourselves with God's purpose and prepare for a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings.

Key Takeaways:

- Prioritizing the Principal Wheat: Just as the farmer prioritizes the principal wheat, we must prioritize godliness and the pursuit of holiness in our lives. This requires discernment and a commitment to seeking God's guidance in all things. [03:56]

- The Necessity of Godliness: True godliness is the most necessary pursuit, providing the spiritual nourishment our souls need. It is the foundation for a life that glorifies God and enjoys His presence. [10:34]

- The Profitability of Spiritual Pursuits: Investing in our spiritual lives yields eternal rewards. Godliness is profitable for both this life and the life to come, offering true comfort and joy. [17:47]

- Dedication to Spiritual Growth: We must give our principal care to our spiritual growth, dedicating our best thoughts, efforts, and love to God. This involves a wholehearted commitment to living out our faith in every aspect of life. [24:27]

- Expecting a Spiritual Harvest: By prioritizing our spiritual lives, we can expect a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings. Living for God leads to true success and fulfillment, both now and in eternity. [44:16]

Youtube Chapters:

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:18] - Introduction to Isaiah 28:25
[01:07] - God's Instruction to the Husbandman
[02:37] - Spiritual Tillage and Harvest
[03:40] - The Role of the Spiritual Husbandman
[04:11] - Identifying the Principal Wheat
[05:20] - The Importance of Prioritization
[06:26] - Choosing the Principal Crop
[08:28] - The Necessity of Godliness
[10:02] - Glorifying God and Enjoying Him
[12:21] - The Fitting Food for the Soul
[14:17] - The Profitability of Godliness
[17:11] - The Enriching Communion with Christ
[24:27] - Dedication to Spiritual Growth
[44:16] - Expecting a Spiritual Harvest

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Isaiah 28:25

Observation Questions:
1. What does Isaiah 28:25 reveal about the role of God in guiding the farmer's decisions? How does this relate to our spiritual lives? [00:34]
2. According to the sermon, what is the significance of the "principal wheat" in the context of our spiritual journey? [04:11]
3. How does the sermon describe the farmer's discretion in choosing which crops to prioritize? What lesson can we draw from this? [05:20]

Interpretation Questions:
1. In what ways does the sermon suggest that God instructs us in the "tillage of our lives"? How can this guidance impact our spiritual growth? [03:09]
2. The sermon emphasizes the necessity of godliness. How does this necessity compare to other pursuits in life, according to the sermon? [10:34]
3. How does the sermon illustrate the profitability of spiritual pursuits? What are the eternal rewards mentioned? [17:47]

Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your current spiritual priorities. Are there any "weeds" in your life that are overtaking your spiritual field? How can you address them? [03:25]
2. The sermon calls for a wholehearted commitment to living out our faith. What specific steps can you take this week to dedicate your best thoughts and efforts to your relationship with God? [24:27]
3. Consider the idea of "sowing to the Spirit." What practical actions can you take to ensure you are cultivating the principal aspects of your spiritual journey? [03:09]
4. The sermon mentions the importance of prioritizing godliness. How can you make godliness the "principal wheat" in your life, especially in areas where you may have been neglectful? [08:28]
5. How can you align your ambitions and desires with God's purpose, as suggested in the sermon? Identify one area of your life where this alignment is needed. [06:59]
6. The sermon speaks of expecting a spiritual harvest. What spiritual blessings are you hoping to reap, and what changes might you need to make to prepare for this harvest? [44:16]
7. Reflect on the sermon’s message about living for God leading to true success and fulfillment. How can you redefine success in your life to align with this perspective? [44:16]

Devotional

Day 1: Prioritizing Godliness in Our Lives
In our spiritual journey, we are called to prioritize godliness and the pursuit of holiness, much like a farmer prioritizes the principal wheat over lesser crops. This requires discernment and a commitment to seeking God's guidance in all things. By focusing on what truly matters, we align ourselves with God's purpose and prepare for a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings. The farmer's discretion in choosing the principal wheat serves as a metaphor for our need to prioritize our relationship with God above all else. [03:56]

Isaiah 55:2-3 (ESV): "Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to prioritize godliness over worldly pursuits? How can you begin to make this shift today?


Day 2: The Necessity of True Godliness
True godliness is the most necessary pursuit, providing the spiritual nourishment our souls need. It is the foundation for a life that glorifies God and enjoys His presence. Just as the farmer knows the importance of planting the principal wheat, we must recognize the necessity of cultivating godliness in our lives. This pursuit is not only essential for our spiritual well-being but also for experiencing the fullness of life that God intends for us. [10:34]

1 Timothy 4:8 (ESV): "For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come."

Reflection: In what ways can you cultivate true godliness in your daily routine? What specific steps can you take to ensure that your spiritual nourishment is a priority?


Day 3: The Profitability of Spiritual Investments
Investing in our spiritual lives yields eternal rewards. Godliness is profitable for both this life and the life to come, offering true comfort and joy. Just as a farmer reaps the benefits of a well-tended crop, we too can experience the richness of a life dedicated to spiritual growth. By prioritizing our relationship with God, we align ourselves with His eternal purposes and experience the true fulfillment that comes from living a life of faith. [17:47]

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV): "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection: What spiritual investments are you currently making that will yield eternal rewards? How can you increase your focus on these investments in your daily life?


Day 4: Dedication to Spiritual Growth
We must give our principal care to our spiritual growth, dedicating our best thoughts, efforts, and love to God. This involves a wholehearted commitment to living out our faith in every aspect of life. Just as a farmer dedicates time and energy to cultivating the principal wheat, we too must be intentional in our spiritual journey. By doing so, we prepare ourselves for a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings and align our lives with God's purpose. [24:27]

Colossians 3:1-2 (ESV): "If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth."

Reflection: How can you dedicate more of your thoughts, efforts, and love to your spiritual growth? What changes can you make in your daily routine to prioritize your relationship with God?


Day 5: Expecting a Spiritual Harvest
By prioritizing our spiritual lives, we can expect a bountiful harvest of spiritual blessings. Living for God leads to true success and fulfillment, both now and in eternity. Just as a farmer anticipates the harvest after months of diligent work, we too can look forward to the spiritual rewards that come from a life dedicated to God. This expectation encourages us to remain faithful and committed to our spiritual journey, trusting that God will bring about a fruitful harvest in His perfect timing. [44:16]

Galatians 6:8-9 (ESV): "For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."

Reflection: What spiritual harvest are you hoping to see in your life? How can you remain faithful and committed to your spiritual journey as you wait for God's perfect timing?

Quotes



The prophet inspired of God shows that the husbandman is wise and skillful in the management of his farm in plowing sewing and threshing and in all the processes of husbandry he asserts that this skill has been taught him of his God I suppose that this is set before us not as poetry but as fact. [00:01:16]

We are all of us husbandmen some of us may be Wicked husbandmen who slay the heir or slothful husbandmen who suffer Hemlock and darnold to come up where there should be wheat and barley or fickle husband men who having put our hand to the plow have looked back but we have all fields to till. [00:03:14]

He does not set to work at haphazard without thought and go to the granery and take out wheat and cumin and barley and rye and fling these about right and left but he estimates the value of each grain and arranges them in his mind according to their proportionate values he does not think that cumin and Dill and carway which he merely grows to give a flavor to his dish on the table is it all of such import importance is wheat. [00:04:30]

Still there is some principal thing some master thing some Chief thing for which we ought to live and what shall that be what ought to be the Principal crop that we shall Endeavor to cultivate in our hearts and lives have you turned that over have you really put the problem before you or have you gone at it hit or miss as if it did not matter. [00:06:24]

The farmer who finds that wheat ought to be his principal crop makes it so and lays himself out with that end in view he looks around and says what is the best thing for me to produce and when he has found it out he calls it his principle thing here friends do I pray you remember that true godliness is the principle thing therefore get it and prize it above all things. [00:08:05]

To be forgiven my sin to be right with God to be holy to be fit to live eternally in heaven is the greatest the most needful thing for me and therefore I will make it the principal object of my pursuit to glorify God and to enjoy him forever is the most necessary thing for a creature for a creature cannot be satisfied unless he is answering the end for which he was created. [00:09:29]

The more we can know God and enjoy God and become like God and the more Christ is our daily bread the more do we perceive the fitness of all this to the newborn Soul oh beloved make that to be your principal thing which is the fittest theme for an immortal mind religion is the chief concern of Mortals here below may I its great importance learn its Sovereign virtue know. [00:13:28]

Godliness is profitable for the life that now is and for that which is to come godliness is a blessing to a man's body it keeps him from drunkenness and vice it is a blessing to his soul it makes makes it sweet and pure it is a blessing to him every way if I had to die like a dog I would like to live like a Christian if there were no Hereafter yet still for comfort and for Joy give me the life of one that lives like Christ or strives to do so. [00:17:47]

Let us give to True godliness our principle powers and abilities let us give to the things of God our best our ripest our most careful our most intense thought I pray you do not take religion at second hand from what I tell you or somebody else tells you but think it over and give it your principal thoughts read Mark learn and inwardly digest the word of God the thoughtful Christian is the growing Christian. [00:23:24]

We should give to this principal wheat our most Earnest labors I mean for the spread of the Gospel a man ought to consecrate himself to the utmost in the matter of holy work for Jesus I dread to see a professing man zealous in politics and lukewarm in div otion all on fire in the parish vestri and chill is winter when he comes to a prayer meeting some fly like eagles when they are serving the world but they have a broken wing when they come into the worship of God. [00:27:38]

If religion be the Principal thing you may look to religion for your principal reward the Harvest will come to you in various ways for instance you will make the greatest success in life if you wholly live to the glory of God success or failure must much depend upon the suitableness of the Endeavor I shall never be able to conduct a choir but I may succeed in preaching for that is my proper work now you Christian man if you try to live to the world you will not succeed for you not fitted for it. [00:42:02]

May the Divine Spirit help us to sew the principal wheat and live in joyful expectation of reaping a joyous harvest in due season according to the promise they that sew in tears shall reap in joy that which was the cause of our principal anxiety here shall be the source of Our Endless Felicity Hereafter amen. [00:45:26]

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Transcript
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