Getting Ready For the Harvest
by Becky Williams

[Jesus] said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.  Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves…Cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’  Luke 10:2-3, 9

At first glance this passage may seem offensive, and when you think of it, it is so true.  If you consider all of the people in the world, Christians make up a small percentage of the population.  Consider the statistic that the average person knows at least 8 people who do not know or have a personal relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior.  

As Christians we are called to reach out and share the good news of Jesus with the world.  That can sometimes be met with resistance, even from those we love and care for who do not know the One True God that we know.  Therefore as we reach out in love and nurture in a world of evil it is true that we are like lambs among the wolves.  It is not always easy to live the life God wants us to live, there are temptations and distractions that we face everyday. 

And yet then there is the promise that God wants everyone to be in His kingdom.  EVERYONE!  The old and  young, the sick and healthy, the rich and poor, the unemployed and employed, the married and divorced, those with addictions, the single parents, the murderers and rapists, the list goes on and on.  He desires nothing more than to have us all.  

But there is always that reminder that is found in various places in scripture “The kingdom of God is near”.  We never know when Jesus will return.  Start looking in your neighborhoods, at school, workplaces, shopping centers, street corners, and you will find people who are “ripe for the harvest”.  There are so many lives and souls that need to be saved.  They are just longing and waiting to be greeted and welcomed in Jesus’ loving arms.  How about letting Jesus work through you?!  

Dear Lord, open my eyes to see the fields white for the harvest!  Help me to get beyond the excuses I use for reasons why I can’t tell others about You.  Help me to overcome my resistance to sharing the good news.  Remind me that souls are eternally hanging in the balance.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN.