Greetings again my Brethren. Last month we looked at the people’s condition and the hunger of the people for God. Make no mistake often our hunger for God determines our condition. If we have a hunger for God the condition we find ourselves in will not matter. Rich or poor, prince or pauper things will not matter. What will matter will be our hunger for the LORD. And out from our hunger comes commitment and if we are committed to the LORD He will be committed to us. God is to us what we are to Him. This month we will start to look at the extent of the field in relationship to the call of God in our lives. In Luke we read, “And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them. 43And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent. 44And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.” (Luke 4:42-44) There is something special about the desert and wilderness places when hearing the word of God. Some of Jesus’ most impactful words for our lives were spoken in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place that always takes care of our character issues and misgivings in our lives. It is the place we come to lean on and learn of God as our beloved. In Song of Solomon we learn this truth, “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved?” (Song of Solomon 8:5) It is a place we can endure the dealings and judgment of God and no one will be able to hear us scream. It is a place of stark contrast between life and death, between spiritual development and immaturity, a place where we come to know God or come to know not God. It is the making place for all who have heard the call of God for their lives and who desire to come up closer to the heart of God. The field is hard and rocky at times, but at other times it is well watered and flows with milk and honey. Oddly we think the well watered field is the field God has for us, but not so my friend I think God gives us the well watered field to keep us on the line. It is the hard and rocky field where God can get much of His work done in our lives. The extent of the field is as vast as the call and the better we hear the greater the vastness of the field, yes fields in Africa, Asia, India, Europe, and even in your heart.
As we look at the fields in our lives we must not overlook the harvest. Many Christians go for God for the sake of the going. I traveled here and there for God; look at me look how much I have sacrificed for the LORD, but sacrifice and going is not the purpose of the call, it is the harvest. The farmer plants and toils in the dirt not for the fun of planting and toiling, but for the harvest. Believe it or not God spends little time looking at the toiling and planting as He does at the harvest. John tells us, “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.”(John 4:35-38) Now John was NOT telling us to look at the fields as most people preach and believe, oh no John was telling us to look at the harvest. It is the harvest of souls Jesus was talking about NOT the field. God’s focus is the souls and this must be our focus. Both who sow and reap receives the same wage, but if our heart condition and focus is not on harvesting the ripe fruit then all will be for naught. We to must be concerned with what Jesus was concerned with; Jesus’ number one concern was doing the will of the Father and His second concern was for people, the ripe harvest. We must not miss this point.
Next month we will look at the urgency of the hour and the critical need of the people. If the field is not gleaned the fruit and the field is laid waste. Do you hear Him now?
