Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Monday June 16 2025
(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)
Hosea 10:12-Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you.
The principle of sowing today and reaping later is one that is found throughout the Bible in lots of different contexts and examples. The Christian life is one of sowing and reaping. Jesus likens the sharing of the Word with the parable of the sower (Luke 8:11-15), and Paul encourages us to sow to the Spirit instead of to the flesh (Galatians 6:7-8). The same principle is even seen in families. Parents sow the Word of God in their children to prepare them to be faithful to God.
Psalm 71:16 (ERV)-Now that I am old and my hair is gray, don’t leave me, God. I must tell the next generation about your power and greatness.
Psalm 78:5-7 (ERV)-He made an agreement with Jacob. He gave the law to Israel. He gave the commands to our ancestors. He told them to teach the law to their children. 6 Then the next generation, even the children not yet born, would learn the law. And they would be able to teach it to their own children. 7 So they would all trust in God, never forgetting what he had done and always obeying his commands.
Psalm 102:18 (ERV)-Write these things for future generations, so that they will praise the LORD.
Sometimes, the fruit of our labors are not made known to us in this life. We may not see them.
Luke 10:23-24-Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.“
But sometimes we can be blessed to see the fruits of our labors in this life (or at least some of them). God blessed me with an example of this recently. Not long ago, while door knocking in our local community, I left flyers at a gas station with invitations for Bible Studies through the mail. A gentleman found one and called me and told me that I had ministered to him back in 2018 (when I lived in Hazard) during a difficult time in his life. He had moved away back to his hometown, and that hometown is Corbin. Amazingly, after years of no contact, we now live in the same community again! We even live off the same road! He is doing well, and we are planning to get together for Bible study.
Sometimes, as Christians and as preachers, we may become impatient and discouraged when we don’t see the spiritual progress right away from our labors that we want to see. When that happens, just remember: keep sowing and watering, and God will give the increase. We sow today, and reap tomorrow.
1 Corinthians 3:6-I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
Lord, guide us today. Help us to see souls that need to be loved and ways to share Your Word with them. Maybe we can say or do something to encourage them and point them to You. Please give us wisdom and guide our steps. Amen.
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