Devotional 6-17-17

Matthew 9: 35-38

³⁵ Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness, ³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  ³⁸ Ask the lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Anyone who has ever worked on a farm knows hard work!  If you had to cut a hay field, you knew before hand that it would be hot, dry, dusty and entail long hours between the cutting/ bailing and transport via a hay wagon to the storage shed!  It was necessary but not enjoyable.  On a farm it was one of many chores that had to be done.

In Matthew's account Jesus is traveling the countryside and sees people in need. He does many things to try and show God's good deeds to the least of them.  This too was necessary.  God's people were dominated by Roman rule and life was hard.  Jesus was sharing the GOOD NEWS that God's kingdom on earth was at hand!

Today, as Christian people we may not think of ourselves as "laborers".  However, just like in Jesus' day, we are called to do the hard work of sharing Christ's love with the harassed- the helpless- the sick- the lonely!  This can be very difficult because it calls us to step out of our comfort zone and go where we might not want to go or witness to people we do not know or like.  But Jesus remind us that the "harvest" is dependent upon each of us to do his work in his kingdom on Earth as we await that house not made with hands but eternal to the Heavens.  May it always be so!

Prayer: Father give us the strength to do your work and share your word with those who need to hear that they are loved as a child of God too. Amen

Marv Jones