“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.” — John 4:37-38
When you watch a football game, how much time do you spend focusing on the offensive linemen? Probably not much, unless one of them committed a penalty.
The position offensive linemen play may be one of the most difficult and physically demanding in all of football. They get hit every play by hard-charging pass rushers, yet they rarely get credit from broadcasters and even more rarely get the opportunity to be celebrated by fans. They do their jobs as best they can so their teammates can make the highlight-reel plays and score all of the touchdowns.
The often thankless job of offensive linemen reminds me of Jesus’ words in John 4:37-38: “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.”
Jesus uttered these words of John 4 in the context of evangelism — telling non-believers about Jesus so that they too may come to faith in Him — after speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well.
This is great news for us! Evangelism is easy; all we have to do is tell others about the wonderful ways God has revealed Himself in our lives. God is the One who has done the hard work we could never do. He has forgiven the sins of His people by sending His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross. He’s the One who has reconciled His people to Himself so that we may enjoy being in His presence forever.
God has done the hard work, and we get to score the touchdown. We get to see the joy that comes when someone is saved after we’ve shared the Gospel with them.
May this free you today from the fear of evangelism and the fear of others, and embolden you to share your faith with someone who may not know about the love of Christ.
— Kevin Mercer
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