OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL
DATE: FRIDAY FEBRUARY 9 2024
TOPIC: HARVEST REQUIRES LABOUR
MEMORISE:
Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.
Matthew 9:37.
READ:
MATTHEW 9:36-38
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
MESSAGE:
If God is ever going to use you to bring a harvest of souls into His kingdom, then you must be hardworking. This is because harvesting requires way more labour than sowing. Farmers will tell you that sowing is hard work; if you are going to sow on a large farm, you are going to work hard. However, reaping involves more hard work. This is because there is a time limit for harvesting. If you don’t harvest within the time limit, the fruits will rot. The harvest of souls that God has prepared in this end-time revival is great and we have limited time. I pray that God will give you the grace to bring in the harvest, in Jesus’ name.
When Peter cast his net into the sea in Luke 5:1-10, he did it alone without help, but when the harvest came, he realised that he needed more effort to bring it in. Proverbs 12:27 says that the slothful man will not roast the meat he caught while hunting. Do you know what that means? It takes hard work to hunt and harder work to prepare what was caught so it will not rot. God is not going to waste His anointing on a man who will win souls and not follow them up.
Soul winning is an easier job than following up new converts till they mature in Christ. This is why some people prefer the work of the evangelist to that of a pastor. The evangelist gets on a podium, preaches the gospel of salvation, makes an altar call, and leaves thereafter, leaving the pastor to do the hard work of training the new converts, setting them in systems that will help them grow spiritually, answering all their questions, and teaching them regularly until they can stand on their feet. In a time of revival, you must not only be ready to do the work of an evangelist but that of a pastor as well. John 15:16 says that you must win souls and ensure that they abide, implying that they never return to the devil.
As painful as it is, giving birth is still easier than taking care of a baby until adulthood. Parents will tell you that the work of a mother over her children never ends. Are you ready to nurture new converts till they make it to heaven? If your answer is yes, then God will really find you useful for His work.
KEY POINT:
Put more effort into the follow-up of souls till they are mature and are on the sure path to heaven.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: NUMBERS 5-6
AUTHOR: PASTOR E.A. ADEBOYE
HYMN 4
TO THE WORK! TO THE WORK! WE ARE SERVANTS OF GOD
1. To the work! to the work! we are servants of God,
Let us follow the path that our Master has trod;
With the balm of His counsel our strength to renew,
Let us do with our might what our hands find to do.
REFRAIN:
Toiling on, toiling on,
Toiling on, toiling on:
Let us hope, let us watch,
And labour till the Master comes.
2 .To the work! to the work! let the hungry be fed;
To the fountain of life let the weary be led;
In the cross and its banner our glory shall be,
While we herald the tidings, “Salvation is free!”
3. To the work! to the work! there is labour for all;
For the kingdom of darkness and error shall fall;
And the name of Jehovah exalted shall be,
In the loud-swelling chorus, “Salvation is free!”
4. To the work! to the work! in the strength of the Lord,
And a robe and a crown shall our labour reward;
When the home of the faithful our dwelling shall be,
And we shout with the ransomed, “Salvation is free!”
