Fall harvest is sunup to sundown in our agricultural region as we approach the Autumn Equinox on September 22, 2022. God’s creative design and timing are so amazing! Faithfully every year, once in March and then again in September, He essentially divides the day in half which gives us approximately 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. What’s even more astounding is how He supplies our daily load.
When first glancing at the title of this prophetic blog post you might have thought it referred to how many tasks you had lined up for the day. Well, quite the contrary on that one, although you’ll still have to complete your to-do list!
Meditating upon Psalm 68, which is also a song penned and sung by King David, one can surmise that it was completed on the heels of God giving him rest from his enemies on all sides. The verse that tugged at my heartstrings was 19 which reads,
“Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation!”
Continuing with a harvest theme, as I prayed about an appropriate image for this message, what Holy Spirit gave me was a cornucopia.
In classical antiquity, the cornucopia, from Latin cornu (horn) and copia (abundance), also called the horn of plenty, was a symbol of abundance and nourishment, commonly a large horn-shaped container overflowing with produce, flowers, or nuts.
Baskets or panniers of this form were traditionally used in western Asia and Europe to hold and carry newly harvested food products. The horn-shaped basket would be worn on the back or slung around the torso, leaving the harvester’s hands free for picking.1
If endless, colorful harvest and floral fields suddenly appeared before you with the invitation to choose from the finest assortment, what would you place inside your cornucopia:
Apples of so many tasty varieties?
Banana squash which certainly does not taste like a banana?
Cantaloupes loaded with beta carotene?
Deep-burgundy-colored grapes?
Eggplant in all of its royal purple plump?
Fantastic flavors of peppers of all shapes and sizes?
Golden goldenrod flowers?
Sunny sunflowers with scrumptious seeds?
Oh, my goodness, I’d better stop with my suggestions before your cornucopia is overflowing and you aren’t able to carry it from the fields in a wheelbarrow, on the back of a horse, or in the bed of a pickup truck!
In Psalm 68:19, King David reminds us of the most important daily benefit which is our salvation if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. (Romans 10:9-10)
Israel’s former king continues this theme in Psalm 103:1-2,
“Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits.”
Spiritual and Physical Benefits.
A study in Ephesians Chapter 1 most assuredly will result in a Christian feeling like a spiritual millionaire with a bank account that can never be overdrawn.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.” (Ephesians 1:3-6)
Let’s take a look at our “account balance” to see what’s in there:
***** Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)
***** Adoption as sons (and daughters) into the kingdom of God (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, Titus 3:7, and 1 John 3:2)
***** Accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6) as Jesus is the beloved Son of the Father (Matthew 3:17)
***** Redemption through Jesus’s blood and atoning sacrifice on the cross at Calvary (Ephesians 1:7)
***** Forgiveness of all of our sins (Hebrews 10:10-12 and 1 John 2:2)
***** Divine wisdom and prudence (Proverbs 2:6 and 9:10, Romans 11:33, and James 1:5 and 3:17)
***** The revealing of the mystery of God’s will which is the good news of the gospel of our salvation (Luke 2:10-11, 4:18, Mark 1:14-15 (NIV), and Acts 20:24 (NIV)
God’s general will for our lives is spelled out in His written word. This is why we must read and search the Bible daily for God’s truth and wisdom for every situation.
***** A spiritual inheritance (Ephesians 1:11)
***** Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (2 Corinthians 1:21-22, Ephesians 4:30, and 2 Timothy 2:19)
***** A guarantee of our spiritual inheritance (Ephesians 1:13-14 and Colossians 3:23-24)
***** We are the praise of God’s glory (Ephesians 1:12)
***** God’s mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23)
On November 9, 2021, I wrote of the Multitude of God’s Mercies. https://sheilaeismann.com/give-receive/
Physical Benefits.
This is not an all-inclusive list, but here are some to consider:
***** Your gifts and talents from God.
***** If you’re fortunate enough to live in a part of the world that has a Bible translated into your language.
***** Godly friendships and associations with brothers and sisters in Christ.
***** God’s daily provision. (Psalms 34:10 and 145:15-16, Matthew 6:31-33, 2 Corinthians 9:8, and Philippians 4:19)
***** Our good works as a result of us being created as God’s workmanship here on earth. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
A Definite Difference In Benefits.
One important thing to keep in mind is that every Christian can receive and partake of spiritual blessings whereas physical blessings can differ from person to person.
For example, some are blessed with riches and possessions to sow into the kingdom of God while others have good health and relationships, etc. The spiritual field is far more equitable than the physical one.
Jesus reminds His followers in His Sermon on the Mount of Olives,
“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.” (Matthew 6:19-21)
Prophetic Insights For Daily Living.
#1. Which spiritual benefit do you appreciate the most and why?
#2. Likewise, which physical benefit do you appreciate the most and why?
#3. What are your attitude and actions when someone has more physical blessings than you have?
#4. What items have you selected for your “Cornucopia?”
#5. Are there other things that you would add to your spiritual bank account?
#6. Any additional items you can think of to complete your physical benefits?
#7. After reading this prophetic blog post, do you have a renewed appreciation and/or greater understanding of our daily load?
Sometimes when life becomes difficult and the challenges linger, it’s easy to forget our daily load of benefits from a loving God.
In conclusion, please join me in reading aloud the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian church at Ephesians 1:15-21,
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”
Until the next message,
SFE (Sheila, Fellow Encourager)
Sheila F. Eismann, Prophetic Seer, Blogger, & Author, publishes her blog posts endeavoring to encourage others through God’s word. Her writings include instructions on how to apply prophetic insights for daily living.
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Image Via Creazilla
1https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornucopia