Don't Lose Sight of the Harvest - Melissa Jupp
This year the town that I live in started a gleaning program. People could sign up to go and pick the leftover fruit and produce that was still left on the plants in the farmers’ fields. The free program allowed you to pick as much as you wanted and share with family and friends, but you were not allowed to sell what you picked. I had never heard of this kind of program before and I was a little skeptical at first, but when I went with some of my kids and a lady from our church, I was blown away by the bounty we could pick! While speaking to the farmer, he explained that the harvest was so large this year that he did not have the laborers to keep up with it. He decided to donate the rest so the harvest would not go to waste. As he walked away to answer someone else’s questions, I could only stare out at the field. There were 20 gleaners and three strawberry fields; we did not even put a dent into the harvest. The Bible says in Matthew 9:37-38 that as Jesus surveyed the crowds about him, He declared, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.” This scripture really came alive to me as I looked out on those fields. I got a renewed burden to see the harvest the way the Lord sees it. It is not that I had never heard messages preached on this or read it myself from God’s Word, but when the Lord brings an old truth and makes it new to you again, stop and listen.
The Lord reminded me, as a mother, of the harvest field that is my home.
The Lord has given me my children to teach them to know Him and see them put their faith and trust in Christ. I can only do this right by walking with the Lord and letting him work through me, but truthfully, I don’t always let Christ work through me, and when I don’t, I have lost sight of this harvest. I have had the privilege of seeing 5 out of my 7 children pray to receive Christ as Saviour. But, let me tell you, raising kids is hard! Your children see all sides of you: the good, the bad, and the ugly, and it’s ok that our kids see us in those ways, but let’s control what they learn from them. How we act and behave effects how our kids see Jesus. So, when you are having a bad day make more time to have prayer timeouts. Let your kids see you turning to Christ for help. If your kids are older, tell them you are having a bad day and you need them to pray for you. Apologize to your kids if you have behaved in away that you knew was not Christ-honouring. The Jesus that you show your children is the Jesus that they see and know. Don’t loose sight of this harvest! “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” 3 John 4 (KJV)
Your church family is a harvest field! I might have just shocked a bunch of you, but just hear me out. There are people in your church who faithfully attend and are not trusting Christ as their own personal Saviour. I know what you’re thinking, “not at my church we have an alter call every service.” Well, my name is Melissa, and I grew up faithfully in church. I went to a church that is active in the gospel ministries, had an alter call each week, and yet I did not have my salvation settled until I was 21 years old and married to the youth pastor. It’s not that I didn’t know how to be saved, and I didn’t have a problem with living the Christian life. The reason was that I didn’t believe or see my sin the way that Christ saw it, and until I humbled myself to the Saviour, I was just a lost religious person. It is an extremely scary and humbling thing to tell all the people who thought they have known you and even saw you as an example, that you weren’t saved. Do you know how they all reacted? They rejoiced with me! I now make it a priority to hear the testimony of other people in my church. Not to be a judge if they are saved or not, but so that I can share my testimony. I want to encourage anyone who is struggling with doubts of their own salvation to settle it all. The Lord has given me many opportunities to help others with this and I hope He continues to use me. Maybe you are reading this today and the Lord is calling you to settle it. I encourage you to listen to the Lord and settle it. Don’t let your pride take you to hell. Maybe the Lord has placed someone on your heart today that needs Chirst. Talk to them! Don’t let this harvest go to waste!
“I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” Luke 15:7 (KJV)
I am an active door to door soul winner, but do you know how I lose sight of this harvest field? It is when I go with a heart of distraction, or fear, or as a pastor’s wife obligation. I am ashamed to tell you that I have gone out too many times with the wrong heart. Most of the time it is with a heart of fear. Fear that I am going to get yelled at lol. But when I really started to pray and ask the Lord to help me overcome this fear, he showed me it was my pride. Do you know how I get over myself? I quote scripture. Galatians 6:3 (KJV) “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.” I remind myself that I am nothing without Christ! I remind myself where I would be if no one told me that there is a Saviour who died for me! I remind myself that these peoples’ eyes are blind and desperately need the Saviour. Do you ever think about the people that reject the gospel and never come to the Saviour? I often do, and then I think of the story of Lazurus and the rich man. The rich man begged for Lazurus to go to his house and tell his family, Luke 16:27 (KJV) “Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.” Who will go and tell for them? When I go with a heart of burden to see souls saved, I go with a heart willing and ready for the Lord to work. Do you go out soulwinning? I hope you do! Don’t lose sight of the harvest field in your city.
Lastly, don’t loose sight that there is the harvest field of the world! Pray for the salvation of the world, support financially and prayerfully those who have entered this great work, and if the Lord is calling you, then GO! Obey what the Lord has called and commanded us to do.
“And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” Luke 14:23 (KJV)
I hope you have a new desire to see the harvest field. If we truly see the harvest the way we should, then we will see the labours increase and less and less of the harvest will go to waste. Keep praying that we don’t loose sight of Harvest!