John 4:34-38, NIV; "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages; even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I 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."
Before I tell you what God told me in this scripture, let me give you the background of what has been happening up to this point. Most of us have heard the story of Jesus and the woman at the well, but here I will recap a bit.
Jesus and His disciples had been traveling from Jerusalem and were now passing through a village of Samaria near Jacob’s well. They were all hungry and tired, so the disciples went into the village to get some food for them. Jesus stayed beside the well to meet with the Samaritan woman. He asked her for water, and then Jesus offered her the true water of life. They sat down and discussed her life. When they were finished she ran into town to gather a crowd to bring back to the well to meet Jesus. Enter the disciples. They are carrying several sacks full of groceries and are trying to encourage Jesus to have some lunch. But He tells them that He has food that they know nothing about. Discussing among themselves, they try to figure out where Jesus has gotten food and who could have brought it to Him. But Jesus replies; ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.’
How very profound that must have seemed to these big burly men who were thinking about the rumbling in their stomachs because they hadn’t eaten in several hours and had just walked many miles. I, too find it profound. To think that Jesus actually found energy to sustain His life from sharing the plan of salvation with a woman who had been shunned from the ‘normal’ society of her day. He got fuel to accomplish His ministry by actually performing His ministry.
I had never seen this verse in this light before, and yet this is clearly what Jesus had told His disciples in this verse. How amazing! And yet He didn’t end His message to His disciples with this, He went on to say; ‘Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the reaper draws his wages; even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I 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.’
I feel Jesus was trying to encourage His followers to find some form of energy in their labors for the Kingdom of God, too. And not only those present with Him their, but He wants us, His disciples in this present generation, to follow this example, as well! Our greatest driving force, the source of energy for life, should be to serve others and through service to others to serve Him to the best of our ability.
Sunday December 28, 2008 Pastor John used the following scripture in his sermon; ‘Colossians 3:22-24 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.’
He took it slightly out of context and asked us to think of ourselves as the servant, the slave, of Jesus and to obey Him in all things, to do all that we do with singleness of heart; fearing God. Heartily do it unto the Lord. Because of our eternal reward that awaits us when we see Him face to face … but there is more to this than spiritual, future rewards.
Luke 6:38 says; ‘Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.’
I don’t feel this verse is speaking about giving our money, although we should be giving of this, too. I feel this verse is speaking of giving of ourselves, in other words ministry, to others. But it goes on to say that when we give “it” shall be given back to us in the same measure that we have given to others. But it doesn’t say that God will do the giving, it says MEN will. In fact is says the men will it unto to us until it overflows the container they are pouring “it” into.
I would like to take the opportunity this year to look at what I do for Jesus in the same manner that He did when He walked among men. I would like to get to the point that I can actually derive energy from those things I do to lead others into the Kingdom of Heaven or to further them along their way down the heavenly highway! I want to hear Jesus say to me what He said to the servant in the parable in Matt 25:21; ‘His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant … enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.’
Let’s begin this New Year with a singleness of Heart and Purpose in Jesus – doing all to bring honor and glory to Him . . . . Learning to gain our energy from doing the ministry He has called us to complete.
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