Word
from the Pastor:
VISION BUILDERS MINISTRIES-
changing lives and impacting generations -Isaiah
58;12
Are YOU Ready For The Harvest?
Father God, work what is
necessary in us that we may be ready for the harvest
fields.
Farmers know the importance of
having their equipment ready for harvest time. Once the
farmer cultivates and sprays for insects or diseases
that may cause the crop to not yield a good harvest he
then begins to plan for harvest time. While the crop is
still ripening he spends time preparing his machinery
for the time when the crop is ready for reaping. He
knows that it is important to be ready when the crops
are matured. When the crop is ready there is little time
to gather for various reasons. If the crop over ripens
it can fall to the ground, if the wind blows strong
enough it can knock the stalks over or the ears off the
corn. Being ready is crucial for the best yield. Jesus
told his disciples in Matthew 9:37-38, ". . .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) In this reference we see two
important things. One, there was not a shortage to be
harvested; secondly there was a shortage of workers. We
know that Jesus was not referring to a shortage of
people to gather the crop but a shortage that would be
qualified as workers. Are YOU one that Jesus could send
in a response to the prayer for laborers?
In 2
Timothy 2:19-22 we are instructed, "Nevertheless, God's
solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this
inscription: 'The Lord knows those who are his,' and,
'Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn
away from wickedness.' In a large house there are
articles not only of gold and silver, but also of wood
and clay; some are for noble purposes and some for
ignoble. If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he
will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy,
useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.
Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue
righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those
who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (NIV) Webster
defines "ignoble" as "dishonorable". These are areas of
our lives that we know do not bring honor to God. We
need to weed out those things in our lives that hinder
us from being ready for God to use us. Not only is it
"dishonorable" things that make us ineffective for God's
use but also things in our lives that have priority over
God. Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are
surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us
throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so
easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us." (NIV) We are instructed in this
verse to not only lay aside the things that are
dishonorable to God but also areas of our lives that we
put before God. These could be sports, going to the
lake, jobs, etc. These things are not sin but if they
have priority over God it slows us down spiritually. We
are not ready for God to use us when He needs someone to
do a task.
Let's ask ourselves a couple of
questions; first "What areas of my life do not honor
God?" and secondly, "What areas of my life do I put
before God?" We shouldn't answer either to quickly but
give each some careful thought and prayer. Let's ask God
to show us the areas that He knows we need to change. We
need to be ready so we can go into the harvest of souls
that need to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ. Hebrews
12 goes on to tell us that God disciplines those he
loves and it is not pleasant but after it brings a
harvest of righteousness. God's correcting will make you
a workman ready for the harvest. We'll be ready for the
Master's work!
Father God, work what is necessary
in us that we may be ready for the harvest
fields.
pastor Elijah M
Wafula
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