Harvest

— For the week of January 2, 2011 —

While the world has been multiplying, the church has been making additions.
— D. James Kennedy

The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
— Matthew 9:37

Several years ago, while pastoring in a small Ohio farming community, Rev. Blake Willingham became concerned about the need for a spiritual harvest. It was during a missions conference that he opened his heart to serve as a missionary.

After much prayer, he realized God wanted him to see the world in the light of Matthew 9 and become a "sending pastor" rather than a foreign missionary.

The next year he traveled to Kenya, Africa, and observed the plight of the Masai warriors. He then traveled to Bolivia and met with missionaries on the edge of the Amazon jungle. He went on to India, with its poverty and spiritual darkness, and also to the inner cities of the United States.

When his "missionary journey" was completed, he was a different pastor. He had a new view of the world!

It was only after seeing the need for the Gospel first-hand that he began to fully comprehend what Jesus meant when he said, "Go and make disciples of all nations."

When Rev. Willingham responded to the call of Christ in Matthew 9, he became a sending pastor. What is God saying to you about the need for a harvest of souls in your sphere of service?

Take steps today to begin carrying out God's mandate for winning the lost through your ministry.

Taken from The Minister's Little Devotional Book.
Copyright © 1997 by H.B. London Jr. and Stan Toler.
Used by permission of RiverOak Publishing, Tulsa, Okla.
All rights reserved.