Friday Thought -- June 3, 2011

Good Morning Friends,

“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’” (Luke 10:1-4)

I’ve been appointed to things before – committees, boards, jobs, etc. With each appointment came responsibility. But there was more than responsibility that came with the appointments – each appointment also came with trust. In fact, the very decision to appoint me to something was a statement of trust. Someone was saying that they were trusting me to do what needed to be done. That’s what Jesus was saying about the seventy-two He appointed to bear His message to the villages. He was trusting them with an important responsibility. He believed they could do what needed to be done. When He appoints you to some task – bearing His message, doing His work – He is saying the same about you – He trusts you. That’s a huge statement – the Lord of Lords trusts you!

I also note that this passage says that Jesus sent them out “ahead of Him.” They weren’t responsible for the whole thing. All of the work of God was not tied to what they were going to do. In fact, they couldn’t do all of the work. They were responsible for only a piece – but the Lord would bring the work to its completion. That’s still true today about the work we do for Him. We do what He assigns, but all the work is not tied to what we do. In fact, we can’t do all the work. There is a piece – an essential piece – the biggest piece – that is God’s to do. He’ll bring the work to completion.

What was lacking in the work that God longed to see done was not people ready to respond. There were many ready to respond in Jesus’ day. There are still many ready to respond in our day. There are places around the world where the response to the message of Jesus is huge. And even here, where the impact of the Gospel seems limited, there are still people who are responding and still lives that are being changed. What was lacking then – and what is lacking now – are not responders, but those willing to bear the message.

And one final point: remember whose harvest it is. The Lord sends workers. The Lord answers prayers. He is the Lord of the harvest. It is His harvest field.

The Lord is looking for workers for His harvest. Will you bear His message?

His, by Grace,

Steve