Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.
— Galatians 6:9 —
Laney Stroup: Japan Bible Academy | Japan
The New Testament is filled with the imagery of sowing and reaping. From Jesus’ parable of the sower, to Paul’s final exhortations to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:6), it employs the lowly farmer as an example of hard work, and the harvest as a metaphor for the end of the age. So, what makes the farmer such an important example for the Christian, and what does the harvest have to teach us regarding the Christian life? We must bend our backs, we must steel our nerves, and we must set our sights on the harvest to come. First, the farmer must plan diligently to ensure that he saves enough seed for each new season. Second, the farmer must tend consistently to his crops to ensure that they have water and are free from weeds so they can grow. Third, the farmer must work quickly to bring in the harvest within the harvest window. And last, the farmer must perform all of the above patiently with little to no reward until his crops are harvested. This last requirement is the point of comparison that Paul makes in Galatians 6:9. It is easy to become discouraged in life and ministry when we do not see the immediate results of our labor. And sometimes, God forbid, we may even grow weary in our fight against sin (Gal. 6:8). Like the hardworking farmer, though, we must bend our backs, we must steel our nerves, and we must set our sights on the harvest to come. May the Lord grant us to endure, and to labor as diligently as the farmer. And may we set our sights on the task before us, so that we may one day hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”
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