LIVING WITH URGENCY: SOWING TOGETHER FOR HARVEST

 

John 4:35-38

Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now, the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus, the saying 'One sows and another reaps' is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor." (NIV)

God has an intense longing for us to experience the blessings of teamwork. He knows we won't lead fulfilled lives if we work only for ourselves. Each of us is made for something bigger—God created us for teamwork. Many people never realize the value of this concept, and that's truly sad because they miss out on one of life's great privileges. By following God's instructions, each one of us can be an effective team player in His kingdom work.

God wants to do far greater things in our lives than we could ever imagine if we fully surrender to Him. I've been thinking about and praying that God would give me the courage to pursue people for Christ. He has called me to live with urgency. When we settle for safety and security rather than chasing our God-given passions and pursuing the people He's calling us to reach, we stall the maximum impact God wants to have in us. Our stubbornness, lack of surrender, and limited view of God often hinder His power from having its full impact on our lives. When we prevent God from having total control, we end up settling for the good while God is urging us to pursue greatness.

OPENING OUR EYES TO THE HARVEST

Living with urgency—sowing together for harvest—is what God is calling us to do. God has placed passions inside each of us. Going after the unchurched will require us to step outside our comfort zones, take risks like sharing our faith despite our fears, and at times look like fools. We must stop spending the majority of our time making plans for God and start seeking Him. Too often, we make God's will seem too complicated for our lives and neglect to see Him in the obvious. Instead of going with God and allowing Him to teach us on the journey, we want everything to be perfect and end up doing nothing.

Living with urgency requires us to submit ourselves fully to God. When we do, we can feel hopeful and confident that God's glory will be revealed through our obedience, even in challenging circumstances. Jesus said, "Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are ripe for the harvest" (v. 35). What did He want them to see? The fields! And what were the fields? The multitude of people waiting to be reached.

Listen, the problem is still the same today. While we enjoy the fellowship, teaching, and preaching, the fields are waiting to be harvested. This is not a problem only for our associational work. It is not merely a problem for our missionaries. It is our problem—it is our harvest, those are our fields, and this is our work.

LIFTING OUR EYES TO OUR COMMUNITY

When it comes to the unchurched in our community, we can seek to understand who they are, or we can continue to dismiss them as the disciples did. You may need to begin by repenting of your own sinful thinking toward some of the fields. Ask God to forgive you for dismissing parts of the harvest because they are not like you. We know what we should do: lift our eyes to our field, and see the harvest awaiting our laboring hands. Do you see the fields?Let the change begin with you. Live with urgency.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and may the Lord used these words to renew your spirit.

Pastor Dimas