JOHN THE FARMER AND THE POWER IN THE BARN
A farmer inherited a great acreage and farm to be steward over and a good amount of credit to do whatever needed to be done.
He had a great shop built and bought the biggest and best tractor he could buy.
Everyday he would whistle, "There is power, There is power, wonder working power, in the barn, in the barn."
He would turn on the lights and think wow, what a farmer I am to have such a nice piece of equipment.
However he would be loathe, to take it out in the field and get it dirty.
Rather on special occasions he would take it out give it a wash job and drive it in a parade or where others could see it, but never out in the field. Sometimes when he felt down he would start it and sit in the cab till he felt better.
One day his wife was peeved at him and told him, he was not getting enough of the farm work done.
It wasn't long and she seen him riding out of the barn with a garden tractor. He seen her shocked look on her face and said don't worry I am just going out to mow the lawn. --For they did have a nice place to behold.
The next day she approached him with concern and said he really needed to use the big tractor to help pay for its upkeep.
He finally got willing it hooked it up to his smallest disc to do some discing around some of his fields. He was very careful to not to get it too dirty or scratched or put to many hours on it.
His wife finally gave up on encouraging her husband in this area and let him be. Since he had credit and a nice place to keep up he hired more help and rented equipment to make up for what he didn't do with his tractor.
By and by the time came and the winds blew in such a way, that trouble came to the farm.
To save you the heart rending details that perhaps would distract from our narrative we will tell you that eventually it came to the fact that the farm failed, the man had to sell out to pay debts, and the bank repossessed the tractor.
All this happened when the man's kin whom he had inherited the estate came to see how he had proved as steward. They sent him and his family packing and gave the farm to the poor farmers to tenant on contract and that is the end of the sad story of Farmer John Brown. If this was a parable what can we glean from this story? It came to me all at once this week. The Lord's spirit had been reproving me of the need to follow him with more compassion and to study hs life and pay more attention to what he was saying and living. The poor of the world marched before me , even harlots, pimps, publicans or who ever you may consider removed from your world or could we say your respect or esteem---he (Jesus) said, not dead but sleeping and yet we laugh that such can be redeemed. Am I not willing to put my tractor to work. I thought perhaps I was just daydreaming when my phone rings and someone from town asks me to help someone in need. The evidence of God is too strong for me to ignore. Please tell me the meaning to this story......
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