Harvesting with Humility

Every season in business has its planting and reaping. But in the Kingdom, the way we gather matters as much as the harvest itself. Discover how humility, generosity, and faith can transform your business into a field that blesses others.

Fall is a season of change. Gathering what’s been sown, of giving thanks, and of preparing the ground for what’s to come. Fall reminds us that every season brings both the reward of harvest and the invitation to plant again. In business, as in Christian ministry and church leadership, the work never really ends. We simply move from one field to the next. We are always moving between harvest, thankfulness, mission, and new beginnings. But how we harvest is what truly matters. So does how we invite and welcome others into the work. How we lead through these seasons also reveals whether we are going about business our way, or God’s way. This season, as we reflect on thankfulness, mission, and new beginnings, I’ve been asking the Lord: What does it mean to truly do business God’s way when the fields are full and there’s still room for many more workers?

The Humble Harvest

Jesus said, “Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. (KJV Luke 10:2) In any Spirit-led work, whether it's a business, a church ministry, or a community initiative, the temptation is to hold tight to the reins. But God's business model doesn't run on control. It runs on calling, availability, and a heart that says, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.” The harvest doesn’t belong to us. It’s the Lord’s. But when we forget that, we start setting up fences in fields that God meant to be open. We become gatekeepers instead of labourers. We evaluate worthiness instead of nurturing willingness. And that’s when spiritual harvest becomes a human hierarchy, which has never been God’s design. If we treat the harvest like it belongs to us, we’ll start selecting who we think is “ready enough” to work in it. But the Lord of the harvest doesn’t wait for perfection. He equips the willing. The early church was built on ordinary, often unpolished people. That’s the power of grace; it qualifies the called.

The Consequences of Closed Hands

When leaders hold too tightly to power or position, they create environments where new workers feel unwanted or unqualified. We find that younger voices stop speaking up, and eventually they just stop showing up at all. The mission and goals will slow down while permission is constantly being sought, and this fosters eroding trust. Resentment grows beneath the surface, and God’s Spirit is quenched because man’s structure becomes immovable. Even worse, people begin to associate control with godliness, when in fact Jesus modelled servant leadership, not dominance. It’s not only unproductive, it’s dangerous. Because where control rules, grace is silenced. And where grace is silenced, the mission withers. Dennis Peacocke, the author of Doing Business God’s Way, writes, “We grow by caring for people and things.” But when leadership becomes obsessed with control rather than care, we stop growing, both spiritually and organizationally. Fruitful fields become fenced-off gardens. Potential leaders shrink back, and the harvest suffers. If we do not allow space for others to rise, we’re not stewarding God’s mission; we’re stalling it. Peacocke also writes, “If I can’t fail, I can’t truly succeed.” Growth requires space to risk, struggle, and rise. But when we over-manage people, either out of fear, pride, or preference, we create sterile environments where faith is replaced with rigid form, and God’s calling is choked by caution. God doesn’t call us to tightly controlled institutions, oh, certainly not! God calls us to living, breathing communities of faith where people can be trusted and empowered to grow. Yes, that includes the risk of failure. But it also includes the reward of fruit.

When We Uproot the Wrong Worker

Jesus said, “Let both grow together until the harvest.” (Matthew 13:30) There is danger in being too quick with the shears. Sometimes, in our attempt to protect what we’ve planted, we cut down people that God has positioned to bring renewal. In every harvest field, not all the wheat looks the same. Some are seasoned stalks; others are just beginning to grow. And yet the Lord calls all of them valuable. In the Body of Christ and in leadership, we must resist the urge to silence the voices that challenge us. Correction is not rebellion. And pruning the bold instead of confronting the bitter will always lead to a fruitless field. As Dennis Peacocke writes, “Service is the foundation of all lasting growth.” Leaders must allow space for uncomfortable conversations, even ones that reveal hard truths. Otherwise, what we end up preserving is not health, it’s hierarchy. A fair business owner, an active ministry leader or a harvest church is one that listens before it reacts. That examines itself before pointing outward. That welcomes repentance as the beginning of revival. When we punish the prophetic and protect the political, we reap a field of fear, not fruit. Let’s be different. Let’s be humble. Let’s remember that the ones we are quickest to dismiss may be the very labourers God has sent for the next season of growth.

A Thankful Posture, Not a Territorial One

When we lead or build something, whether a ministry or a business, it is so easy to become possessive. But gratitude teaches us that every position, every opportunity to serve, every team member, and every open door is a gift from God. A thankful spirit doesn’t compete. It celebrates. It makes room. It mentors. A thankful spirit says, “I’m grateful you’re here. Let’s grow together.” True thankfulness doesn’t hoard opportunity. It gives it away. It says, “I’m grateful for how God is using me and I’m excited to see how He’ll use you.” When we lead from a posture of gratitude, we become mentors, not monitors: partners, not policemen. And instead of seeing others as threats, we see them as answered prayers for His great harvest.

Mission Over Management

God’s mission will always outrun our ability to manage it. That’s why He constantly calls new people, opens new doors, and brings fresh voices. Businesses, the church, ministries and the marketplace alike will suffer when leadership becomes a bottleneck instead of a bridge. In the business world, the best leaders delegate, empower, and trust others to rise. In the Kingdom, it’s the same; we’re not building personal platforms, we’re stewarding God’s purpose. Ministry and business both require structure, but structure should serve the mission, not suffocate it. God’s work is always bigger than one person, one opinion, or one model. In the early church, when new believers were added daily, the apostles didn’t cling to control. They delegated, equipped, and released others to lead. They trusted the Holy Spirit to work even in those who were new because growth comes not from man, but from God (1 Corinthians 3:7). When we cling too tightly, we don’t protect the mission; we choke it.

New Beginnings Require New Trust

Every harvest needs new workers. Every beginning needs brave hearts. Every new beginning God brings is an invitation to trust Him more, and ourselves less. That means making space for new voices, new ideas, and yes, even new leaders. Whether you're seasoned in ministry or new to faith, God doesn’t waste your gifts. He invites all of us, not based on seniority, but on surrender. To deny someone a role simply because of how “new” they are, or how “different” they lead, is to deny the Spirit’s ability to equip and send. We often forget that David was anointed as a youth, or that Paul was placed into ministry soon after conversion, and we even forget that the thief on the cross was promised paradise that very day. God’s timeline isn’t bound by our comfort. His Kingdom doesn’t run on seniority. It runs on surrender.

Final Thoughts

Doing business God’s way means recognizing that we’re stewards, not owners. It means leading with humility, trusting God’s timing, and creating room for others to grow, even if it challenges us. It means harvesting with humility, welcoming new workers with joy, and trusting that the One who began a good work will be faithful to complete it, not just in us, but in those He brings alongside us. Because in the end, it’s not about building something that looks perfect… it’s about building something that’s fruitful. Let’s make space for the harvest, give thanks for every worker God sends, and trust that new beginnings often come disguised as new people. Let’s enter this fall with open hands, open hearts, and eyes to see that the field is still ripe and the harvest belongs to the Lord. “God pays for what He orders,” writes Peacocke. This means we don’t need to clutch control to protect God’s work. We need to trust, serve, and empower. The fall harvest will always come when the field is stewarded with humility, certainly not when hoarded with fear.

Reflection Questions for Business Leaders

As we enter the fall — a time of both harvest and new beginnings — ask yourself:

• • Am I holding the field open or fencing it off?

• • Am I leading with humility or hierarchy?

• • Is there someone I’ve underestimated that God is preparing to use?

• • Do I make others feel welcome to work, or do I make them wait until they’ve proven themselves?

• • Have I confused personal comfort with God’s calling?

• • Am I building His Kingdom… or managing a club?

• • Who can I bring alongside me, not because they’ve “earned it,” but because God is moving in them?