by David Brenneman
"Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”" Matthew 9:36-38
"And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Luke 10:2.
What are you doing as a Christ-follower? Are you warming the bench or in the game? Are you out in the harvest as the Lord directs or are you watching others while you do your own thing?
The things of the life of a Believer that will count in that day in which we stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives before Him are those things we were called to do and actually did in the fields that Jesus speaks about.
Excuses will be on our lips but the thing is we will be standing before He who is also known as "the Truth".
We either are in the fields as He said to be or we are watching and or ignoring those who are in the fields.
One of Dr. Charles Stanley's sayings "Obey God and leave the consequences to Him" is actually a repeated theme throughout the Bible.
We choose to either obey or we choose some other way.
We choose.
Something to take to heart is this: even indecision is a decision. Failure to decide is still a choice.
"It's too much for me!" My Dear Reader, of course it is! It's not on what we do in and of ourselves that counts or matters. It's what we are directed to do that we trust God in that we engage in that gives HIM the honor and the glory that points people to HIM and not ourselves.
A thing to remember as well is that there's absolutely nowhere in the Bible where the concept of retirement exists. Yes in the Old Testament we read of when those serving as priests had reached a certain age and they wouldn't serve in that capacity anymore but it did not say they stopped serving. We are 'on the job' 24/7 365 as those called by God through Christ to do whatever He puts before us to be doing.
A friend often quotes someone else when he says "It's not about me and it's not about now". Our lives in Christ are NOT about us personally. The Spirit's job is to bring about the character of Christ in us so that people see and want what we have.
We are incapable of living a true Christian life without relying on the Spirit of God to do so.
260 days seems to be a very long time until it's done with. Yet, you can read a chapter a day of the New Testament and read all of it in 260 days. Have you even read that much of your Bible? If you have not...how will you explain not doing so to the One you trusted to save you? "I was busy" will to be a good excuse. "My kids needed me" will not be a good excuse. How will your kids know that your life in Christ is THAT important if they don't see the evidence in your life?
It's a non-optional part of the life of a Believer. Get up early if you have to in order to at least read a chapter a day. Get up a little earlier to at least start your day in real prayer with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Don't keep repeating the same montra day after day. MEAN what you are praying.
Get out off the side of the road and get into the fields as you are directed by the Spirit of God. It doesn't matter how much experience you have in doing it just get to doing it. I have had dozens of experiences with the Spirit kicking me in the behind to get into a conversation that I had no idea how it was going to go...and true to His Word...He gave me the words to say. A person isn't a worker until they step up to the plate and say "Here I am".
There's a good story about a man who didn't look like much who always walked to a little church every day and prayed a heartfelt prayer. One day the Pastor saw him coming in and had serious second thoughts about him by his looks. After the man explained that he walked there every day on his lunch break to meet with Jesus to talk...and after he had heard what that man had said. It broke the Pastor's heart in a way it needed to be broken. Several months went by and there was always that man coming at his lunch time. Then there was a week when he didn't. The Pastor grew concerned and asked around. Found out he was in the hospital. Gets there an the workers are dumfounded. This man was always happy although no one came to visit him. No cards no flowers. Yet he was always trying to cheer them up. When it was just him and the Pastor he explained that they had it all wrong. He had a visitor every day. Jesus came to hold his hand and to stop by to check in on him.
That man was still a worker in the harvest with just being himself where he was. Being true to who he was in Christ.
How about you? Drop any excuses that you have. Let go of any fears you hold to as to your 'why's' of not doing more. We are Ambassador's for Christ while we yet breathe. Which means we DO have a job to do in properly representing Jesus to the world.
It will be us with the broken heart when we stand before Jesus if we really hadn't done what we were called to do while we yet lived.
It really isn't about us and it's not about now. It's about Jesus and about what He's called us to be doing.
We either obey and do or disobey and don't. Which would you rather be known for when you meet Him face-to-face?
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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