I think one of the main things that I struggle with as a farmer is time management. As many of you know, there always seems to be more than enough work to fill the hours of the day. Many times I feel as though I am treading water trying to keep everything from sinking into disrepair. But as a follower of Christ, I want to be excelling in the work I do for Him, not just getting by. It just is hard, sometimes, to juggle farm production, marketing, maintence, ministry, family, church, and my walk with God. Lately the Lord has been teaching me to just trust Him, walking in obedience to His Spirit each moment of each day, but I know I have much to learn. So I would like to hear what the Lord has taught some of you about managing your time.

 

Please use the comments section of this post to share thoughts, ideas, testimonies, verses, tools, and practical examples of honoring the Lord in your time management as you work for Him. I hope it will be edifying for us all and will encourage us to be better stewards of the time, talents, and treasures the Lord has entrusted to us.

 

“In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.” Prov. 16:9

 

As I farm with and for the Lord I enjoy seeing how He reveals himself in little ways, showing that He is sovereign and faithful and sufficient for all I need.

 

This week we are working on building a fence around a ten acre pasture we cleared last year. Yesterday we marked out and dug holes for the corner posts before lunch, then counted up the number of posts we already had in order to determine how many more we needed to get. Well, we lacked thirteen, so I hopped in the truck and headed to town while my farm hand worked on clearing some lanes for the fence. When I arrived at the farm supply store I walked out to the yard to look at the posts. Apparently it is the season for fence building, because the yard was cleaned out of most of the supplies of posts and wire. However, there were still a few corner posts in a bin, and when I counted there were exactly thirteen! As I checked out the clerk said that someone else had come that morning and bought all but the baker’s dozen I needed. I know that the Lord kept just the right amount of posts for me, and I thanked Him for His Provision. Sometimes I overlook the way God works in my daily life. But it is encouraging to realize that if He cares for my daily physical needs He will also provide all my spiritual needs as well.

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the Good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. . . What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all – how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Romans 8:28,31,32

 

Sometimes the complexity of farming can be a bit overwhelming for me. Every day there are so many decisions to make; what to work on, how to care for plants and animals, what to do to fix a predator problem, etc. Sometimes I wish that I just had someone to tell me what to do! Then I could just focus on accomplishing things without always having to second guess whether I should be doing something else.

 

But I do have someone to give me direction throughout my day! My Saviour, Jesus Christ, says simply, “Follow Me.” He doesn’t say, “Try to use what you know to figure out how to serve Me today.” Instead, He says, “Trust and obey.” God has promised to give me wisdom if I ask. The problem is I don’t always ask. Most of the time, if I am really honest it is clear what God want me to do. My real problem is not a lack of knowledge of what I should be doing, but a struggle with wanting to do what I want to do, rather than what I know I should do.

 

But thanks be to God! Christ has conquered my sin and I am no longer a slave to it. I now have the freedom to say “No!” to sin and “Yes!” to Christ. I don’t have to figure everything out. I just have to trust and obey. Walking with Christ has to do with taking one step at a time, keeping my eyes fixed on Him.

 

So as I begin my day, I offer it up to God and commit to walk in simple obedience as He shows me His will one step at a time. And to start off with I can begin to do what I know is His will: “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today born-again farmers around the world are joining together to pray for each other’s farms. If you have not already, please consider joining us by commenting on the previous post. I have been so encouraged reading about the work the Lord is doing in the lives of other farmers and look forward to lifting them up to the Lord today. My plan is to fast during lunch and pray through all the comments.

As we pray today, if the Lord lays something on your heart that you think would be encouraging to other born-again farmers please feel free to share them in the comments of this post. Also feel free to write down some of your prayers and share them in the comments as well for the edification of others.

Oh, Lord. Please bless this day and we your people, who have commited to join together to acknowledge our dependence on and need for You. You created the land, the plants, the animals. And You created us, made in Your image, and gave us the job of caring for Your creation and the privilege of walking with You. Oh, Lord, we have failed to serve You and have rebelled, but in Your mercy You sent Your Son to live the life we could not live, and receive the punishment we deserve. Now, as those who have been called by You out of death and into life, we surrender our lives, our families, our farms in wholehearted devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. As followers of the Way, may our lives show others the way to live, that they may be pointed to Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We love You Lord, because You first loved us, and we thank You for the privilege of being able to join You in the work of caring for Your creation and reconciling men to You. We look forward, Oh Jesus, to your return and the restoration of all things. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.

On March 14th, join other born-again farmers in praying for each other’s agricultural endeavors.

The farming season is coming fast upon many of us. Lately I have been busy preparing ground, planting early crops, getting ready for new chickens, and working on the all important marketing! Before we get too much further into the year I would like to host a day of prayer for the 2013 growing season. On March 14th I invite anyone who would like to participate to join us in praying for God’s blessing on each other’s farms.

As born-again farmers we are very aware of our dependence upon God for our provision and livelihood. We can’t make seeds sprout, cause rain to fall, enable animals to conceive and give birth, or make people buy our produce. God is the only one who can grant us success. One of the primary ways we can show our dependence on God is by praying and asking for His blessing and provision upon our farms. And I believe that God listens to the prayers of His people.

“The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

On the farm prayer day I would encourage us to pray for each other in two areas:

1. First, I would encourage us to pray for the Lord to change our hearts and make us into more Christ-like farmers. God-glorifying agriculture starts with the born-again hearts of farmers. I know that there are many areas of my heart that still need changing if I am going to glorify the Lord on my farm.

2. Second, let’s pray that the Lord would so bless the production and fruitfulness of our farms this year that people would marvel when they see them. Then we will be able to point to God as the source of our success, and give Him all the Glory.

Anyone interested in participating should do the following:

A. In the comments of this post, briefly describe yourself and your farm/garden/agrarian interests. Then list a few specific areas in which you would like the Lord to help you become a more Christ-like farmer. Finally, list specific ways you would like the Lord to bless the production of your land this year.

B. On March 14th, set aside at least one meal during to day to fast and use that time to go through the comments on this blog and pray for all the needs listed by your fellow Christian farmers.

I am looking forward to this! Please spread the word to anyone you think may be interested. May we be strengthened in our faith as we join together in committing our lives, our families, and our farms to God.

“Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him.” Genesis 26:12

I am a very passionate promoter of Christian agriculture. I love farming. I believe that it is something God calls His people to (in a general sense, not every individual) and that it provides the opportunity for an integrated lifestyle of worship, work, family, and ministry. This is part of the message of my book, Born-Again Dirt, and since writing it I have talked to many, many Christians who are beginning to care for and work the land to some degree or another. I am very excited about the work the Lord is doing in the hearts of His people to give them a desire for taking back creation stewardship for His glory.

Recently, however, the Lord has begun to show me some of the dangers and traps associated with Christian agriculture. As with most anything in life, we can so easily take things that are good and run with them until we take our eyes off of Christ and fall off the straight path. So in this post I want to briefly share a few ‘dangers’ I think we should guard against as born-again farmers:

1. Pride in Living a “Superior Christian Life”

       Farming does not automatically make us better Christians. Indeed, there are many benefits to the lifestyle of agriculture that can help facilitate Christ-centered living, but farming itself is not some higher Christian calling that takes us to the next level spiritually. I have even heard of stories where, when not done prudently, returning to the land and homesteading has torn families apart. Farming is something that we must do because that is what God has called us to, not because we think it will fix all our problems and make us happy. Because I love farming and am passionate about sharing the glories and benefits of it, even comparing it with other occupations, I have to guard against causing other brothers and sisters in Christ to feel inferior because they don’t farm. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Galatians 6:14

2. Trust in Self and Self-sufficiency

       One of the attractions of farming is that it allows us to work for ‘ourselves’, and have more control over what we do and how we spend our time. It also allows us to produce a lot of what we need for ourselves (in terms of food and fuel) and be less dependent on buying things from others. However, while we are enjoying trying to be a have a more sustainable and self-sufficient farm we can easily fall into the trap of individualism, selfishness, and isolationism. And sometimes, while we may not be doing it as individuals, we may be guilty of doing it as a family. We need to realize that one of the main goals of our pursuit of sustainability and individual/family agrarian productiveness is not so we don’t have to rely on others, but rather so that we can be in a position to help “carry each other’s burden’s” as God calls us to. God has created us to need one another in the body of Christ. Thus, while it is a good thing to seek to be independent of unbelievers and un-godly systems we must realize that we as Christian believers and families are intended to function together as the body of Christ, needing each other in order to be effective. “The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”" 1 Corinthians 12:21

3. Legalism and Trust in Methods

       As ‘born-again’, Christian farmers it is important how we farm because we should recognize that we are accountable to God for how we care for his creation. But we need to guard against becoming too caught up in attaching the name of Christ to any particular method. To be sure, we need to be purposeful that the methods and practices we use honor the Lord, but that doesn’t mean they are the only, or even the best, way for every farm to bring Him glory. If I have found that a particular gardening method is very fruitful and easy, and seems to honor God’s design in Creation, then I can share it with others, but I shouldn’t start telling people, “If you are a Christian, then this is the gardening method you should use if you want God to bless you.” We must beware of developing formulas and falling into legalism where we attribute our farming ‘righteousness’ to a particular set of practices. It is God and God alone who blesses our farms and produces fruit. The way we farm should flow forth from a love for God and a passion to subject everything we do to the authority of Christ. And I don’t think this would result in every born-again farm looking and operating exactly the same way.

4. Becoming a Workaholic

       Farming involves a lot of work, as many of us know. If we want God to bless us as farmers we must be diligent in our work. There are animals to feed, weeds to cultivate, barns to build, customers to serve, crops to pick, fences to repair . . . and the list goes on and on.  Work is a gift of God and can bring much satisfaction and fulfillment. But farm work, although demanding, is not the only thing God calls us to in life. There are wives to love, children to raise, neighbors to help, messages to write, hospitality to show, fellowship to enjoy, and souls to win. The beauty of farming is that many of these things can be integrated into the life and work of the farm. But I find that they can easily suffer from it as well. I have to remind myself on occasion that my success is not rated by what I can physically achieve in a given day. Let us guard against becoming Christian farm-aholics, and make sure we focus on sowing into the relationships in our lives as well as in our fields.

5. Considering “Simple living” as a Means to Holiness

       Many Christians move to the country and take up farming/homesteading because they want to get away from the fast-paced, busy life of the city. The simple life of the farm can help many of us focus on what is really important in life by removing many of the distractions of the modern age. Some of us may even dabble with ‘off-grid’ living. But a danger I would caution us against here is falling into the trap of viewing simple living as a means to holiness. Although there are benefits to being free from some of the luxuries and conveniences of the world, they do not equal righteousness. We are not automatically more honoring to God just because we grow a garden, cut our own firewood, or milk our own cow. Honoring God starts with the heart and those things are merely fruit. Are not many pagans doing those same things today? However, they are often doing it to feel better about themselves, not to honor God.

6. Judging other Farmers we consider “Worldly”

       It is very easy, especially as we become more passionate about trying to honor the Lord in the way that we farm, to look down upon what we would consider ‘worldly’ Christian farmers. Many of us have studied, prayed, and been convicted about the way that we farm, but we can subsequently begin to think that anyone who doesn’t farm like we do must not really love Jesus. While it is fine and good to discuss the Biblical merits of this or that farming method, we must be very careful to judge the hearts of other farmers using our own standards. Only God knows the hearts of men. And at whatever point we judge another, we are guilty. Do you farm organically and think that industrial farmers are greedy? Well, since no one on earth is perfect, they probably are. But that same greed lies in your heart too, no matter how you farm. The Christian life is a journey of sanctification. None of us have arrived at a place where we perfectly honor God in our farming. We all have growing and learning and repenting to do. We need to show grace to one another, holding firmly to the truth while guarding against looking down upon brothers or sisters in Christ just because they are on a different part of the journey. Our goal should be to share our testimony of where God has brought us and what he has shown us and encourage each other in the right direction, which is Jesus Christ.

7. Worship of Farming

       As with many things in life I can easily allow farming to become an idol in my heart. Because it is such a major part of my daily life and object of my energies, it can quickly consume more of my heart than it should. I love farming! But woe to me if I should allow my care for the land to become my focus rather than my commitment to Christ! Agriculture should not be the center of my life, Christ should. Do I feel more of a bond with a fellow farmer than I do with a fellow follower of Jesus? Am I more willing to stand up for good farming stewardship than for the Gospel of Christ? That should give me a clue as to where my heart really lies. And cause me to fear. May I seek first the Kingdom of God. We as Christians should be some of the most passionate farmers in the world. Not because we just really, really love to get our hands dirty. But because we fiercely love the Savior of our souls and Creator of the world and farm wholeheartedly for Him.

Wow! Thanks everyone for the great discussion on what the Bible says about the life of the land. You all covered a lot of good points and came up with a lot of helpful Scriptures. I don’t know if I have whole lot more to add, but I will give a few summarizing thoughts.

1. There are different types of life: When we try to answer the question, “Does land have life?”, we have to define what we mean by ‘life’. If we mean the breath of life, as the Bible refers to the life of animals and people (Gen. 1:30, 2:7), then we would obviously have to answer no. But apparently there is a variety of what could be considered life. Fish and sea creatures apparently are alive, even though they don’t have the breath of life. And plants, although vastly different from what we would consider creatures, definitely have life compared to rocks and minerals (seeds dying, coming to life, 1 Cor. 15:36), though perhaps the reference to them ‘living’ and ‘dying’ is more figurative.

All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 1 Corinthians 15:39

2. Life must be valued and respected: Another thing I observe in Scripture is the principle that life is precious and must be valued and respected. However, not all life has the same value and isn’t all respected in the same degree. The life of man (male and female of every ‘race’), made in the image of God, is the most valued of all life and God forbids the shedding of man’s blood (Exodus 20:12) except in the protection of life (self-defense, Neh. 4:14) and community (capital punishment, Exodus 21:12). The life of animals is far less valuable than man’s, but God still requires us to respect it. Although we have been given the right to take the life of animals for our own use (Gen. 9:3), we must not abuse animals unnecessarily (Prov. 12:10) nor are we to eat their blood (Gen. 9:4), because the blood represents the life of the animal. As far as plants, it doesn’t appear to me in Scripture that they ‘die’ in the same way as living things with spirits (man and animals, Eccl. 3:21). As Dan said, I can only find were Scripture refers to plants as withering, not dying. And I find no references where we are commanded to respect the ‘life’ of plants. However, I would say the passage in Leviticus 19:19 about mingling seed could refer to an honoring of the design of the plants, and the commandment for the Israelites to abstain from cutting down fruit trees when besieging a city could refer to a recognition and appreciation of the gift of plants God has given for our benefit.

3. Only life can work and rest: As far as I can tell, the Scriptures never refer to anything ‘non-living’ as working or resting. In the Ten Commandments, the commandment relating to the Sabbath day of rest lists some of the things that must rest: family, servants, livestock, and foreigners, all apparently living. And the only other thing that I know of that God ever commanded us to let rest is the land (Lev. 25:4). Now, I wouldn’t say that Scripture supported the idea that land is a ‘being’, with a spirit. However, the term ‘land’ could easily include the complicated system of life that is based in the soil, as well as the physical ground itself. This living system is what the commandment seems to be directed at in terms of resting. It is this system that expends energy to bring forth food. And it is this system that God has chosen to let rest from plowing and planting.

Comment Quote: “Why would something dead need to rest?” -Nancy

4. Land must be treated as something living: Based on my studies so far of the Bible, I would say that land definitely doesn’t have the same kind of life that God has given to man and animals. However, although the definitions of ‘land’ and ‘life’ can be confusing, it seems clear that the Lord wants us to treat the land (the ground and its living system) with some of the same kind of respect that we give other living creatures that can be worked. Otherwise the land becomes merely an inanimate resource to use and manipulate as we see fit, instead of a wonderful gift from the Lord that we should care for and use for His Glory.

Comment Quote: “Whether or not it is “alive” in the sense that a cat or a pear tree are alive, we are to treat the land as if it were alive.” -Ellen

P.S. In case you haven’t already noticed, this post is slightly tardy, and I apologize. As most homesteader/farmer/bloggers know, it is hard to make time to blog when the immediacies of the farm and family are ever crying for our attention. But, as God gives me grace, I will do my best to be more consistent. Thank you for your patience and support.