{"id":2750,"date":"2021-05-26T07:24:37","date_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2750"},"modified":"2021-05-26T07:25:15","modified_gmt":"2021-05-26T15:25:15","slug":"devotion-john-428-38-from-one-seed-to-a-crop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=2750","title":{"rendered":"Devotion John 4:28-38 From One Seed To A Crop"},"content":{"rendered":"

John 4:28-38\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a028\u00a0Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,<\/i><\/span>\u00a029\u00a0\u201cCome, see a man who told me everything I ever did.\u00a0Could this be the Messiah?\u201d<\/span>\u00a030\u00a0They came out of the town and made their way toward him.\u00a0 31\u00a0Meanwhile his disciples urged him, \u201cRabbi,\u00a0eat something.\u201d 32\u00a0But he said to them,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cI have food to eat\u00a0that you know nothing about.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>33\u00a0Then his disciples said to each other, \u201cCould someone have brought him food?\u201d\u00a0<\/span>34\u00a0\u201cMy food,\u201d<\/span>\u00a0said Jesus,\u00a0<\/span>\u201cis to do the will\u00a0of him who sent me and to finish his work.<\/span>\u00a035\u00a0Don\u2019t you have a saying, \u2018It\u2019s still four months until harvest\u2019? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.<\/span>\u00a036\u00a0Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests\u00a0a crop for eternal life,\u00a0so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.<\/span>\u00a037\u00a0Thus the saying \u2018One sows and another reaps\u2019\u00a0is true.<\/span>\u00a038\u00a0I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cThen, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,<\/i><\/span>\u00a029\u00a0\u201cCome, see a man who told me everything I ever did.\u00a0Could this be the Messiah?\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0The woman now had belief and was growing in it.\u00a0\u00a0She was excited and had to tell the others in her village about Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0These are the same people who criticized her and ostracized her.\u00a0\u00a0She set that aside to tell people about Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0Isn\u2019t that the same result in our times?\u00a0\u00a0When someone falls in love with Jesus they immediately want to tell people about Him.\u00a0\u00a0Something this good, this life changing has to be shared.\u00a0\u00a0And by the way, the fire of that should never grow cold.<\/p>\n

\u201cCould this be the Messiah?<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0She already believed Jesus to be the Messiah.\u00a0\u00a0After all, He had not only told her about her life, but He directly told her that He was the Messiah.\u00a0\u00a0She believed Him and as she had been drawn to Jesus so she enticed others to come to Him and, well, \u201cCome and see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came out of the town and made their way toward him.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0We can fairly assume that she was not a scholar of scripture.\u00a0\u00a0Yet she understood that the Messiah would be coming so she certainly was familiar with scripture and she was hoping for the Messiah to come soon.\u00a0\u00a0So what did she share with the people?\u00a0\u00a0She shared her story of meeting and coming to know Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0She shared that she believed that Jesus was the Messiah.\u00a0\u00a0While it is most important to know scripture, often the most powerful and potent thing we can share with someone is what Jesus did for us.\u00a0\u00a0We know that story and people often respond most to our personal testimonies.\u00a0\u00a0What has Jesus done for us?<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMeanwhile his disciples urged him, \u201cRabbi,\u00a0eat something.\u201d 32\u00a0But he said to them,\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u201cI have food to eat\u00a0that you know nothing about.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/span>33\u00a0Then his disciples said to each other, \u201cCould someone have brought him food?\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u201cMy food,\u201d<\/i><\/span>\u00a0said Jesus,\u00a0<\/i><\/span>\u201cis to do the will\u00a0of him who sent me and to finish his work.<\/i><\/span>\u201d<\/i>\u00a0\u00a0His disciples loved Him and of course were concerned for Him.\u00a0\u00a0They knew His journey to Sychar and that He had not eaten.\u00a0\u00a0It is true that physically Jesus had been thirsty as He had asked the woman for water.\u00a0\u00a0Since He was thirsty He was also likely hungry.\u00a0\u00a0After all, He had sent the disciples to get food for Him and them.\u00a0\u00a0He responds to them that He has had nourishment that they don\u2019t know about.\u00a0\u00a0What stimulated Him was the woman had believed and was now sharing and soon her village would believe.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was motivated by doing the will of God, and that from an early age. (Luke 2:49<\/b>)\u00a0\u00a0Yet the disciples often thought with their natural thoughts rather than with their spiritual minds so they did not understand.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>35\u00a0Don\u2019t you have a saying, \u2018It\u2019s still four months until harvest\u2019? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.<\/i><\/span>\u00a036\u00a0Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests\u00a0a crop for eternal life,\u00a0so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0\u00a0It was known that it took about four months from sowing seeds to reaping the harvest.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was the Sower as He had already spread the seed, who was the woman.\u00a0\u00a0The woman was good soil explained in\u00a0Matthew 13:23<\/b>.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was saying the fields are ripe.\u00a0\u00a0Soon, the crowd that the woman spoke to and who were coming to meet Jesus were already ripe and were headed toward Jesus and the disciples.\u00a0\u00a0The sower and the reaper may be glad together.\u00a0\u00a0At harvest time it is not only the reaper who rejoices in the crop, it is also the one who sowed the seed.\u00a0\u00a0Their joy is united.\u00a0\u00a0It is the same for the one who first shares their faith with a person and though the faith did not grow roots right then, when someone different also shares of Jesus and faith takes root in the same person, then both the sower and the reaper rejoice in the harvest.\u00a0\u00a0This person now has eternal life.\u00a0\u00a0We do what we are called to do (Matthew 28:18-20<\/b>) and the Holy Spirit blesses our efforts.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>Thus the saying \u2018One sows and another reaps\u2019\u00a0is true.<\/i><\/span>\u00a038\u00a0I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0\u00a0The disciples had the chance, even that very day, to help reap what they had not sown.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was the One who led the woman to faith in Him.\u00a0\u00a0It was the woman shared her story to the people who would come to meet Jesus, not the disciples.\u00a0\u00a0They were there to, with Jesus, reap what is the product of work before them.\u00a0\u00a0It is the same for us. One Believer shares their faith with a person and then prays for that person.\u00a0\u00a0Another, or many others, water the seed, then a sprout appears and another or others tend the tender sprout to maturity, and then someone reaps the harvest.\u00a0\u00a0Jesus was telling them to open their eyes and be ready to share what He shared with them.\u00a0\u00a0He is telling us to do the same.\u00a0\u00a02 Corinthians 6:1-2<\/b>\u00a0\u201cAs God\u2019s co-workers we urge you not to receive God\u2019s grace in vain.\u00a02<\/a><\/span>For he says, \u201cIn the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.\u201d\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

I tell you, now is the time of God\u2019s favor, now is the day of salvation.<\/i>\u201d Today is the day to share the Gospel.\u00a0\u00a0As we obey God and share Jesus with others, and as we pray for others, we also enjoy the victory that others receive through Jesus.\u00a0\u00a0Our joy will rise as we work.\u00a0\u00a0And the work is not burdensome, but joyous and rewarding.\u00a0\u00a0We are honored to be called to it!\u00a0\u00a0Let us work in unison and enjoy together.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God who allows us to do so.\u00a0\u00a0Praise God!<\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will Hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has\u00a0shown you, Oh man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; and what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of you, but\u00a0to do justly, to love\u00a0mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.<\/i><\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0The\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

John 4:28-38\u00a0–\u00a028\u00a0Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,\u00a029\u00a0\u201cCome, see a man who told me everything I ever did.\u00a0Could this be the Messiah?\u201d\u00a030\u00a0They came out of the town and made their way toward him.\u00a0 31\u00a0Meanwhile his disciples urged him, \u201cRabbi,\u00a0eat something.\u201d 32\u00a0But he said to them,\u00a0\u201cI…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[129,100,106,101,94,1874,17],"class_list":["post-2750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-corinthians","tag-john","tag-luke","tag-matthew","tag-micah","tag-numbers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2750"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2752,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions\/2752"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}