Scripture to Read: John 4:37–38
Jesus knew that the Samaritan woman had placed her faith in Him, and He knew that she had gone back into town to share the gospel with the people in her city. Jesus also knew that John the Baptist had been going through the area preaching a message of repentance, and his message had spread everywhere. So, the lives of the people in Samaria were going to be changed and Jesus wanted His disciples ready to be a part of reaping a harvest of saved souls. Jesus told His disciples in John 4:37–38, “For in this case 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 labor.” The disciples had not sown any seeds of righteousness yet, but because the woman of Samaria, John the Baptist, and of course, Jesus had sown the seeds of the gospel, the Samaritans were ready to respond. As God’s children, we must always be looking for opportunities that God opens for us to sow His seeds and reap a harvest. We must be praying Colossians 4:3–4, …that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ…; 4 that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. God wants to use us in His harvest field to share the Gospel of Christ. We must be ready at all times, for God is actively at work (John 16:8–11) in all lost people's lives.
Challenge & Application
• How did Jesus challenge His disciples (and you) to be ready for reaping a harvest in His harvest field?
• How must you prepare each day to be ready to share the Gospel of Christ and reap a harvest?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!