Bearing Fruit for the Kingdom

Scripture:  John 4:34-38 -  Jesus said to them, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.

As I recall once planting a watermelon seed into the ground, I was amazed how the seed that was planted grew and produced a vine -- and later the vine produced blossoms.  From the blossoms became a watermelon that grew larger and larger.  It took the cultivating and the nourishment from the sun and rain to make it grow – which came from God including the seed that I planted.  God just used me to plant the seed and to do the work of cultivating it.  In His perfect timing, the seed produced fruit and much fruit for a great harvest.  (John 15:5 - I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.)  Just like Jesus called His disciples to sow the seed of the word to do the work of evangelism in John 4:36-38, that they may gather fruit for eternal life, Jesus also called the church, all true believers in Him, to sow the seed of the word of God.  As a team, we are in partnership with Christ Jesus.  We are God’s fellow workers (I Corinthians 3:9a).  I thank God for the G.O. Ministry of Genesis.  Our goal is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with all the world as we are led by the Holy Spirit.  As Jesus said to His disciples in John 4:35 to lift up their eyes and look at the fields for they are already white for harvest, Jesus wants us to see the urgency about reaching the lost.  We know it is a call of commitment to discipleship – more than just passing out a tract, but a cost and a sacrifice of our time, life, home and money.  All that we have is to be used to help someone grow to be more like Jesus Christ.  As Paul said in I Corinthians 3:6-8, God will reward us according to our labor.  As we sow the seed of God’s word together, those who sow and those who reap may rejoice together.  All of the glory belongs to God our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prayer:  Father I thank you for allowing us to be a part of your master plan to reach souls for Your Kingdom.  As you said, the harvest is ripe and the laborers are few.  I pray that you will send more laborers in the field.  Let us not make excuses for not going into the field where people are just waiting for someone to tell them about the good news of salvation.  Just as Jesus reached out to the woman at the well concerning the living water, let us go to those in need for salvation.  (Acts 1:8) In Jesus’ name. Amen

(by Min. Robert Williams)