It's All About Perspective

(Image courtesy of http://www.thephpagency.com.)

"Lord, please give me opportunities to share the Gospel with others.  Please send people into my life that need to hear Your Truth."  Two nights ago I knelt at the side of my bed and quietly prayed this prayer.  I had prayed the same words many times before, but never was I so convicted after saying them as I was that night.

Immediately after praying those two sentences, God met me with this: "Ask Me to send you to them."  I was crushed.  I had it backwards far too long.

Has the servant the right to say to his Master, "Send me the fields and then I'll gather the harvest.  Just, first, bring me the fields."  Should instead the servant not say to his Master, "Send me out into the field, that I may harvest your crops"?  Then the Master will equip him with tools and all provisions necessary because he has sought the will of the Master.

In Isaiah 6:8, God asks the prophet a simple question: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?"  Isaiah's response shows true obedience and humility: "Here I am!  Send me!"  And God responds to Isaiah's understanding of the wisdom of God with a simple "go."

Likewise, Jesus, in Luke 9, sends out His disciples - He does not tell them to wait for the people to come to them.  "And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal."

Read further on and Luke 10 says the same thing: "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest."  I think it's pretty clear: God wants us to go out into the fields, not sit in comfort waiting for the harvest to come to us.

Honestly, I believe many Christians are scared.  We live our lives in fear.  Going out into the harvest fields is scary.  Why?  Because it is unknown territory.  We want to be comfortable.  We don't want to get mixed up in something that's over our heads.

But our Savior knew this: "I am sending You out as sheep among wolves" (Luke 10:3).  But our Savior does not leave us alone!  "Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road" (Luke 10:4).  In other words, "I will supply you with what you need.  Only do not be afraid!  But go and I will show you that you can trust Me!"

You can trust God, oh Christian!  You can trust God!  He sends us out into His harvest fields.  So then go in boldness and courage, knowing that He who saved you will never forsake you!

Be encouraged today by the Word of the Lord and may His courageous heart find you as you bear witness to His glory!


"Send me, I'll go!  Send me, I'll go!  Send me, I'll go!  Let me go, let me go!" (Send Me I'll Go, Lecrae).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger of Entitlement

Image
(Image courtesy of http://pixgood.com.) As I said in yesterday's post, I have been coaching an elementary-aged basketball team for the last month or so. Last night was our last practice, so I decided to do it the old "Cougar Camp" way and have competitions with prizes awarded to the winners. ("Cougar Camp" is a week-long, summer baseball camp in my hometown for elementary school kids that my dad has organized for over a decade. Prizes are awarded each day to kids who win competitions or display great character.)
Read more

Election Season Necessitates the Gospel

Image
(Image courtesy of Associated Press.) It is certainly election season, and we as Christians ought to pray. Not only should we pray for the salvation of lost souls in the land where we live, but I think it is our responsibility to vote. It is a liberty that God has given to us, so we ought to steward this duty well. If I were being honest (which I will be), I am a follower of the Constitution Party. The Constitution is one of the greatest, civic documents ever written, and the Founding Fathers did an excellent job in defining the role of government. The problem is the Constitution is rarely obeyed today.
Read more

Are We Living in the Last Days?

Image
(Image courtesy of davidjeremiah.blog).  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons…” (1 Timothy 4:1). When I was a senior in high school, I went to an FCA football camp at Taylor University. My parents dropped me off; I didn’t know a single person, although the camp was filled with a couple hundred boys my age. The unique part of the experience is that I was one of maybe a handful of light-skinned folks. The rest of my fellow campers were from Chicago public school systems; someone had paid their way to attend. Many didn’t know the Lord, but it was a great opportunity for them – and for me.
Read more