Harvest

by Denise Reed

This Week’s Verse: Matthew 9:37-38 “Then He said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few’. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (NIV)

Devotion:

I don’t know about you, but harvest season stirs something inside me. When I see that first combine out in the field I get excited. It means the farmers will finally reap what they have worked so hard to plant (maybe replant), spray, fertilize, and check up on for the past few months. There is something so satisfying about getting the crops out of the field and into storage.

It also brings cooler evenings, gorgeous leaves, and campfires with s’mores, radiant mums and football.

Seeing the first signs of harvest this year brought all these warm, cozy feelings back. However, God reminded me of HIS harvest. God’s harvest is more than just how many bushels per acre your corn and beans made. It is a matter between eternal life and eternal death.

God’s harvest is SO plentiful. Think of how many billions of people live on this earth. That’s how many plants God has in his ‘field’. God has called us to nurture each other with the Living Word and encouragement, just as fertilizer does for crops. WE are his workers. Once the harvest is done, it’s done – no second chances.

God’s harvest is not one of warm, cozy feelings, but one of urgency. Am I fertilizing God’s crops like I should so God has a bountiful harvest? Or have I failed to prevent weeds from growing up, therefore stunting the growth of the plants around me? Have I stopped gossip and negativity when I have heard it? Or did I sit back and listen to it, even without joining in?

As this week’s verse says, the workers are few. We must stand out and be bold under God’s authority. We must take responsibility of informing others about eternal life or eternal death to the plants around us.

Lord, I thank you for the beautiful harvest season I see around me. Your creation is magnificent. Help me to open my eyes and see YOUR harvest. Help me to reach out to those who need nurturing and prevent weeds to stunt my own spiritual growth and the growth of those around me. Amen

Application: As you drive along and see the farmers’ harvest this year, think about God’s harvest. Feel the urgency to go out and be the best workers you can be.

Power Verses:

John 4:35 “Do you not say, “Four months more and then the harvest”? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.” (NIV)

James 5:20 “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (NIV)

Acts 11:23 “When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.” (NLT)