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We are well into the season of planting, we’ve seen land tilled, fertilized, and sprayed all for the purpose of planting crops.

This is a great investment for the many farmers throughout our counties and state and is the first step that can lead to a harvest.   Now that the seed has died, and the plant has broken the surface of the ground, the next step is cultivation. A great job of cultivation merits a bountiful harvest in the fall.

For there’s many lessons that can be learned from the farmer’s routine during the planting season.  Solomon in the book of Proverbs 22:1v. explains how having a good reputation is far more valuable than monetary assets.  There’s no cost for being nice, polite, courteous, and even understanding just to name a few.   This is basically an individual/you being considerate to others just as one day someone did the very same for you.

I’ve made the statement many times that “we are no more than opportunities for others just as one day someone was an opportunity for us.”

Just as tilling, fertilizing, and spraying the soil is first step of having a beautiful crop, having a good heart of loving and serving God through others is the first step in being capable of persistently doing good things that merits a good reputation.

Even Paul weighs in with the (Romans 7:21v.) when he mentions every time he made attempts to do the right thing; evil notions from the devil were always present within him. This is why we are cultivating a good reputation which is always an ongoing thing.

Satan’s presence always attempts to implement tarnishing information that erodes good reputations and opportunities for birthing greater reputations. Cultivating is basically pulling up everything that stops, hinders, and or even stunt’s our good reputation.

Naturally speaking: such weeds pull additional nutrients from the soil, refusing to weed out or cultivate weakens the harvest outcome.

 The refusal to rid ourselves of negative outcomes will weaken our desires of wanting to do good towards all men.

To maintain a good reputation requires work on our part, much comes with the intention to kill our good reputation.  However, we must work to keep it alive.

 Your positive actions and reactions merit a good reputation. People appreciate politeness, courteousness and being understood.  It can serve as a great therapy to them. For instance, Solomon mentions in Proverbs 15:2v. that a “soft answer can prohibit the upcoming of wrath.”

A soft answer has some similarities of honey when it comes to flies.   Those similarities reflect a drawing power.  A good reputation has drawing power, it makes people smile, feel welcome, and at peace.

Keep a good reputation, you never know who you might run into during your travels that may be down.  Remember your good name and good reputation will go places you will never go, and can touch people you will never know. Remember the more you cultivate the greater your harvest.

Stewart Ham is the pastor at New Growth Unlimited Ministries Inc. in Aurora.