Reference Scriptures.

1. “In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? [b] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to[c] you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. [d] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Genesis 4:3 -8
2. “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22
3. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24

 Recurrent Thought

“No progress in any human endeavor is occasioned by happenstance. To command a Great Harvest, we must be international about what Sacrifice we offer”

Sacrifice, work and the law of sowing and repeating can all be used interchangeably to mean the same thing.

That is -  we can attain something more valuable and better tomorrow by giving up something of value today.

Tomorrow is a future place and time unknown to us today. However, God’s established law  right from the beginning of human history is to the extent  that if you can sacrifice -ie give up something of value today, then you can be sure of great harvest tomorrow. This is universally true, for both believers and non-believers alike.

Reflections from the Cain and Abel Story

1. There are two Camps
   • Those who choose to be international about their sacrifice (The Abel Camp)
   • Those who choose to be careless about it (The Cane Camp).
   • Which Camp do you belong?
   • The Abel Camp – If you belong here you have countless number of people for company. Abraham, Moses, all the Patriarchs, Jesus himself, Paul. Etc.
      
   • Paul’s Sacrifice 2 Corithians 11: 24-28
   • 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[b] in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.
      
   • 1 John 3 : 16
   •  By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
      
   • Example- Gospel to come to Africa- Young missionaries mostly at the prime of their lives came to Africa and died so we can have this Good News of the Kingdom of God.
   • Ghana, Malawi, ICA – all by sacrifice.
   • What is your Sacrifice?  It is selfishness (an error) to be a beneficiary of the harvest of someone else’s sacrifice and yet choose to be careless about your sacrifice- or even worse to refuse to sacrifice at all.
   • Prayer Points – 1. May God Revive our inner desires for Sacrifice. Pray that God will revive our inner desires for sacrifice. The Holy Spirit quicken our desires for sacrifice.
2. Reflection Point 2.
   • Anger, Jealousy, Envy, Bitterness and even bloody murder can be motivated among those who chose to not to sacrifice at all or are careless about it.
   • The story of the murder of Abel by his brother Cane is a perfect example.
   • If you choose a lifestyle of instant gratification – “let’s eat and drink for tomorrow we die”;
   • You will discover tomorrow your brother or friend who chose sacrifice; delayed gratification will Command a Great Harvest – and you can fall into the trap of Jealousy, Anger and murder.
   • How many people have not died, lost their jobs out of Jealousy and envy from those who chose not to sacrifice.
   • This same for the Church, the corporate world, in the market, for Nations. Africa is a perfect victim of this.
   • May God grant us the Grace to sacrifice. May we command our harvest!

Prayer Point:

1. Pray for the Heavens to Open upon us. That as we sacrifice we will Command our Harvest ICA, Our lives, Our Profession
2. Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened. ((Luke 3: 21)
3. Pray against Jealousy, Envy and Murder occasioned against us, as a result of our Harvest! In our Ministry, In our Offices, In our Businesses, In the Market place.
   • Our Harvest must come- It must not be cut off because of someone else’s Jealousy and envy. We must not die in the hands of the Jealous ones.
4. Pray for Malawi- The Heavens will open unto this Nation – that we will obtain Grace for delayed gratification – and as that happens, Heaven should look unto us with favour and cause us to see Great Harvest. Harvest of souls to the church, harvest of crops, development etc.