We will reap the harvest if we do not give up
The weather this week has certainly moved from the last warmth of summer into autumn and this is a traditional time to gather in the last of the harvest and prepare for the winter ahead. For our Ely and District CAP clients and others like them suffering with poverty and debt, it is a time to look ahead and worry about where the money will come from to heat the house. Energy costs have risen a further 17% this year, and probably by more early next year, pushing up the near 1 in 4 adults in deficit budgets that the latest CAP polling has revealed - many of whom are rationing food and heat.
Harvest and the seasons are a common theme in the Bible, highlighting God's continuous and generous provision, both through the gifts of His creation and the physical gifts and labour to reap these harvests, as well as spiritual blessings and the gifts and the labour to reap these harvests.
22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”
Genesis 8: 22 (NIV)
24 They do not say to themselves,
‘Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.’
25 Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.
Jeremiah 5: 24 - 25 (NIV)
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Galatians 6: 7 - 10 (NIV)
God's bounty is generous and timely, assuring us of the regular weeks of harvest. And we need to play our part in this provision, sowing the blessings that we have from God at the right time, nurturing them and watching them grow and then reaping the harvest at the proper time, not giving up or tiring of the labour. God's provision is generous and sufficient for all if we are generous with the provision that we have received from God.
By helping those in our community suffering with debt and poverty, the Ely and District CAP team can do some of this harvest work - helping make sure that those in need know of the love and blessings of God in their lives. Nationally, CAP has been present at the various political party conferences, helping raise awareness of the spiraling poverty trap exacerbated by rising energy and food costs and the need to ensure that these essentials are available and accessible to everyone. All parts of God's work to bring in His harvest, and each in our own way we can be a part of this work too.
Ely and District CAP News
30k for 30 years
Christians Against Poverty is 30 years old this year, and we have joined the challenge to walk 30k and raise money for CAP! We will aim to walk 30k from Ely to Cambridge on Saturday 24th October. To sponsor the team head to our JustGiving page:
Prayer
Please pray for all our Ely and District CAP clients and those like them struggling with poverty and debt who don't know where the money will come from to heat the house or put food on the table. Pray that though God's harvest workers, like the Ely and District CAP team, they would know God's love and bountiful provision in their lives.
Please pray for the CAP teams at the Political Party conferences and for all those working with government to bring real change for those suffering poverty and debt in our society and helping to create a system that is fair for all.
Pray that we would all be prepared to labour hard to bring in God's bountiful harvest, to not tire of the work and to use and share the gifts and blessings that we have from God with all those who we meet.
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