“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame” (Prov. 10:4-5).

Even on a literal level, we see that the son of the husbandman is expected to enter into labor with others, and to reap where they have sown. For him to sleep when the harvest lies ready for the sickle is the most extreme laziness and indeed a great shame to his father.

A similar passage dealing with the harvest of souls is found in 1 Corinthians. Paul says, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:6-9).

We all have a job to do, and certainly we do not want to be a shame to our Heavenly Father—the husbandman of souls. Our part may be to water or to glean where others have sewn, but the Lord will still require that “harvest” at our hand. Remember that the fields are white unto harvest and we must not deal with a slack hand (John 4:35). Why? Because “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).

QUESTIONS:

1. Physically, what must anyone do to reap a harvest?

2. Spiritually, what must someone do in order to reap a spiritual harvest?

3. In whose vineyard have we been called to work (1 Cor. 3:9)?

4. According to Mat. 13:18-23, what does one sow in order to reap a good harvest?

5. What did Paul do in order to reap a great harvest in Corinth (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

6. What would have happened to Paul if he had not sown the seed (1 Cor. 9:16-17)?

7. Does it matter what the sower and the reaper think as they sow and reap (1 Cor. 9:16-17)?

8. Does it matter how hard or how wisely a person works to get a harvest (1 Cor. 3:8, 10)?

9. What did Apollos do in order to reap a great harvest in Corinth (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

10. How many does the Lord expect to be involved in sowing the seed (Heb. 5:12)?

11. What kind of son or daughter are we if we do not sow in the spring and reap in the harvest?

12. When do we receive a reward for what we have sown and reaped (Luke 14:13-14)?

13. Who is blessed with the greatest reward, the sower or the reaper (1 Cor. 3:5-8)?

14. Does it matter who reaps or who sows (John 4:36-37)?

15. Are we required to sow what we reap in order to gain a reward (John 4:36-38)?