Scripture to Read: John 4:35–36
Jesus had just told the disciples in John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.” God’s Word feeds us as we feast on His Word each day. We must be careful not to treat the Word of God like a cookbook. We know a cookbook has great recipes in it, and as we read the cookbook, our appetites are stirred. But if we only read the cookbook but do nothing with what we’ve read, we walk away hungry because we have not eaten anything. If we only read the Word of God but never allow God’s Word to penetrate our minds by memorizing it or our hearts by meditating on it, then we have treated it like the cookbook and we walk away spiritually starving ourselves. We end up missing all that God has for us to do. Jesus challenged the disciples to see more than just the food they had purchased for lunch. Jesus said in John 4:35–36, Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. Jesus wanted His disciples to see the harvest field that was right there in front of them. Jesus was talking about all of the souls in Samaria who needed to be saved from their sins.
Challenge & Application
• Why is it crucial for us to do more than just read the Word of God each day?
• How did Jesus challenge the disciples to see more than just the food they had brought back for lunch?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!