Ecclesiastes 11:4

⁴Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

When we hear the terms plant and reap or harvest, farming easily comes to mind. The Lord Jesus compared the field ripe for harvest to harvest a crop for eternal life. He said in John 4:34-38, ³⁴My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. ³⁵Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ³⁶Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. ³⁷Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. ³⁸I 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.”

For the body to be healthy and strong, it needs food. Christ said that his food is to do the will of God the Father and finish his work; and then, he preached about harvest. Can you accept that Jesus indirectly admonished that for his body, the church to be healthy and strong, members of the church should participate in doing the will of God?

Most often, we are concerned about material necessities; we spend much precious time earning. We may assume that material success exhibits blessedness. While doing so, we should keep in mind that our Lord sent us to harvest a crop for eternal life. When he said that “the one who reaps draws a wage and harvest a crop for eternal life,” did Christ mean that he will sustain us also with material things as we share his gospel? He instructed in Matthew 6:33, ³³Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Pray for increase of faith to trust that the Lord has provided necessary sustenance for obedient believers. By faith in Christ, we desire to witness for him and make disciples; he already prepared everything we need to harvest a crop for eternal life.

Lord Jesus, increase my faith to obey you faithfully.

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