years. Some times it can become discouraging not to have these prayers answered right
away; but we mustn't give up praying. My brother-in-law is a farmer. When he plants
his crops in the Spring, he does not see immediate results! He and his boys spend months
tending the fields, weeding and making sure that the fields are irrigated. They just don't
sow the seeds and then forget about it, no, there is lots of work involved in order to see
that there is even a harvest.
It is the same with the unsaved that we pray for. We sow the seed of the Gospel to them,
but we can't stop there! We need to continue to pray earnestly for their salvation! We
read in 2 Corinthians 9:6, "But this I know, He which soweth sparingly shall reap
sparingly: and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." What is
this saying? Don't expect a good crop, if your haven't put in the work of sowing one!
My brother-in-law does not take his harvesting equipment to a field that has not been
planted! In the same manner, the Lord expects us not only to pray for the salvation of
those we love, but also to share the Gospel with them, be a witness to them through our
speech, lifestyle and actions.
Are we responsible for their response? No, they are; we are responsible to sow the
good news of the Gospel with them. Here is another thing to consider...the sower is
not always the reaper. One of my nephews might plant a field of corn, but it could
possibly be his father that will harvest it. John 4:36b & 37 "Both he that soweth
and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, one
soweth, and another reapeth." A good harvest profits my sister's whole family, it
doesn't matter who actually harvests the fields...they work together for a common goal.
I believe many churches today show immaturity and jealousy when it comes to soul
winning. It matters not who sows or who reaps, it is for a common goal, the salvation
of lost souls for whom Christ died. In verse 38 of John 4, the Lord Jesus goes on to
say, "I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured,
and ye are entered into their labours." As workers together in the harvest fields of
this world, we will sow in one field, but harvest in another...we work together, as one
in the body of Christ!
We find in 1 Corinthians chapter 3, verses 6 - 9a, the Apostle Paul addressing this
issue again, "I have planted, Apollos watered: but God gave the increase. So
then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God
that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth, and he that watereth are one:
and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For
we are labourers together with God:" We often fall into the trap of thinking the
results of our soul winning is due to us, but, as it was pointed out twice in the above
passage...it is God that shall bring forth the results. It is only as the Holy Spirit works
to convict men of their sin (through the Gospel that we have shared!) that they will
be saved...it is all of God.
My brother-in-law can work day in and day out in the fields, but the harvest is not
up to him, it's up to God! Soul winning is a collaborate job, we need to work together.
As is often the case, someone else will be the one to actually lead a person to Christ
that others have been working with for years. This is the reason why it says in the
verse we looked at earlier, "Both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice
together." We work side by side in the "Fields that are white already to harvest."
John 4:35
Just a quick side note here...be careful what you sow! The Bible warns that sowing
discord among the brethren is one of the seven abominations that the LORD hates,
in Proverbs 6:16 - 19. As Christians we need to be sowing seeds of love, kindness,
mercy, forgiveness, and the precious seed of salvation.
Be encouraged today to keep on sowing the good news of the Gospel of Christ with
the lost. Do your part with sowing and God will do His part in giving the increase!
Bringing In the Sheaves
Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Sowing in the sunshine, sowing in the shadows,
Fearing neither clouds nor winter's chilling breeze.
By and by the harvest, and the labor ended,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Going forth with reaping, sowing for the Master,
Tho' the loss sustained our spirit often grieves;
When our weeping's over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bringing in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Bring in the sheaves, bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.
Knowles Shaw
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