“Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”Matthew 9:36-38 (The Message)
Pardon the picture I’m about to paint but it’s the one that came to the canvas of my heart. Reading this verse from Matthew about going out into the harvest and how there is so much that needs to be done I think of dirty dishes. I told you, you wouldn’t like my picture but isn’t it true. The harvest of souls out in the world that are wandering around confused and aimless is never ending like the dirty dishes in the house. No matter how many dishes you do it seems like it never ends and there is always one dirty dish somewhere that you miss.
When Christ was here on earth He was constantly on the go from town to villages. He taught, reported, and healed. Occasionally, if not always, He would stop and look out over the crowds and it broke His heart. What He saw sheep with no shepherd wandering confused and aimless. His reaction then and still is, “What a huge harvest!” He recognized the fact there was a lot of work to do and He called on His disciples as He calls on us to help bring it in.
After a big meal when we see all the dishes that need to be done we can stand there in awe of what a big task we have only to discourage ourselves or we can jump in and get it done. The harvest of souls is big and we can’t look at it as a whole only to discourage ourselves. When we do we frequently convince ourselves the job is for the professionals. You know the preacher and the missionaries, that’s their job we often reason.
Like anyone is qualified to do the dishes, although try and convince your kids of that! Sorry. Everyone is qualified to reach out and be a worker in the field for Jesus. Christ that day gave us the first step we need to take and that was to get down on our knees and pray for harvest hands. Not to pray for others to do what we could do but to pray for harvest hands from all.
When I see a school bus full of kids it just breaks my heart thinking about the souls on board. Who it is that is going to reach out to those kids? Who will be saved, who will be lost? Looking for the bus number I pray to the Lord for the kids. I could leave it at that or take it even further and that is what I hope my writing on my blogspot for kids is doing at karenskidskorner.blogspot.com is reaching out into the harvest of kids.
Someone else’s specialty or passion may be for young single women, or middle age men, or teenagers, or married couples, or mom’s or dad’s it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are getting in and helping with the dishes, helping to show others what Christ in their lives can do and the blessing of being a sheep in His flock.
We can’t run from the kitchen, as you may have already found out there are no dish fairies that come out at night that does our dirty dishes for us. If we leave them in the sink they will be in the sink in the morning. We can’t leave the souls who have yet to find Jesus waiting, one soul at a time is a good way to bring in the harvest. As much as I would like to take that bus load of kids into God’s family all at once it doesn’t work that way. One child at a time beats no child at all.
The harvest is huge and the workers are few but we can change that if we are willing to be a part of “harvesting hands.” As a prophet said once, “Here I am, send me.” Let us carry the same attitude in our hearts. We may never need to travel the world to bring in God’s harvest but there’s plenty to done in our own backyard.
“Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
© 2010 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
Pardon the picture I’m about to paint but it’s the one that came to the canvas of my heart. Reading this verse from Matthew about going out into the harvest and how there is so much that needs to be done I think of dirty dishes. I told you, you wouldn’t like my picture but isn’t it true. The harvest of souls out in the world that are wandering around confused and aimless is never ending like the dirty dishes in the house. No matter how many dishes you do it seems like it never ends and there is always one dirty dish somewhere that you miss.
When Christ was here on earth He was constantly on the go from town to villages. He taught, reported, and healed. Occasionally, if not always, He would stop and look out over the crowds and it broke His heart. What He saw sheep with no shepherd wandering confused and aimless. His reaction then and still is, “What a huge harvest!” He recognized the fact there was a lot of work to do and He called on His disciples as He calls on us to help bring it in.
After a big meal when we see all the dishes that need to be done we can stand there in awe of what a big task we have only to discourage ourselves or we can jump in and get it done. The harvest of souls is big and we can’t look at it as a whole only to discourage ourselves. When we do we frequently convince ourselves the job is for the professionals. You know the preacher and the missionaries, that’s their job we often reason.
Like anyone is qualified to do the dishes, although try and convince your kids of that! Sorry. Everyone is qualified to reach out and be a worker in the field for Jesus. Christ that day gave us the first step we need to take and that was to get down on our knees and pray for harvest hands. Not to pray for others to do what we could do but to pray for harvest hands from all.
When I see a school bus full of kids it just breaks my heart thinking about the souls on board. Who it is that is going to reach out to those kids? Who will be saved, who will be lost? Looking for the bus number I pray to the Lord for the kids. I could leave it at that or take it even further and that is what I hope my writing on my blogspot for kids is doing at karenskidskorner.blogspot.com is reaching out into the harvest of kids.
Someone else’s specialty or passion may be for young single women, or middle age men, or teenagers, or married couples, or mom’s or dad’s it doesn’t matter. What matters is that we are getting in and helping with the dishes, helping to show others what Christ in their lives can do and the blessing of being a sheep in His flock.
We can’t run from the kitchen, as you may have already found out there are no dish fairies that come out at night that does our dirty dishes for us. If we leave them in the sink they will be in the sink in the morning. We can’t leave the souls who have yet to find Jesus waiting, one soul at a time is a good way to bring in the harvest. As much as I would like to take that bus load of kids into God’s family all at once it doesn’t work that way. One child at a time beats no child at all.
The harvest is huge and the workers are few but we can change that if we are willing to be a part of “harvesting hands.” As a prophet said once, “Here I am, send me.” Let us carry the same attitude in our hearts. We may never need to travel the world to bring in God’s harvest but there’s plenty to done in our own backyard.
“Here I am, Lord. Send me.”
© 2010 Karen J. Gillett @ Pencil Marks and Recipes Publishing
4 comments:
"Everyone is qualified" both to work and to pray. Absolutely! Great post (and great anaology)!
Amen, wise words spoken here.
I love your passion for kids, to reach them with the love of Christ. This is a great post. Thanks for sharing such insightful words.
I love your dishes analogy. Very fitting.
Post a Comment