Lift up your eyes and look at the fields

 

"Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together." - John 4:35-36

The Lord Jesus tells his disciples not to consider the gospel harvest a far-off and future event, but to lift up their eyes and see that the harvest is here and that the Lord is, at this very moment, bringing people into his kingdom.  Are you involved in this work?

One of the most sobering realizations that a believer can make is to discover that he has busied himself with involvement in many activities and yet, is not doing what the Lord Jesus them to do.  The Lord has commissioned every believer to make disciples of all the nations and to teach them to observe all that he has commanded us [Matthew 28:18-20].  This is the primary work to which we have been called, and it is for this work, that we who have believed are equipped spiritually, both with gifts from the Holy Spirit and the promises of God, to go bear fruit and spread the gospel to those who have not heard.

Knowing that we are called and equipped by the Holy Spirit to do this work, it is without question that we can become distracted by the cares and pleasures of this life, church activities, family events, educational goals, professional development, etc., and before we realize it we are busy doing everything except for being involved in the great commission.

We can become distracted and slowly cool off to the things of God.  It is possible for us to become so preoccupied that we are not involved in God's work at all.  Jesus tells his disciples to lift up their eyes and look to the fields.  Take your eyes away from your ambitions, problems, and desires, and look at what God is doing.  He is growing his Kingdom; all over the world, people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ -- even in some of the darkest places of this world.  The Lord invites his followers to be part of this amazing work that counts for eternity.  Are you involved?  Even if you have not been called to join a mission field abroad, there are thousands of refugees that have been resettled all over the United States, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, etc.  This is where Jesus is directing the attention of his disciples.  It is truly a grace of God if, when one becomes distracted and veers of course, realizes this and is made to grieve.  I have had moments like this in my life, and I praise God for his mercy and great love for me because he did not allow me to stay in this condition.

If that is you, confess your sin and disobedience to the Lord, and prayerfully seek to be involved in his work to make disciples of every nation.  He is gracious and patient and will give you the grace to follow him.  Remember that when Jesus told us to seek first the kingdom of God, he also said: "Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom."  God wants us to be involved in his will and to have joy in himself.

"The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful." - Matthew 13:22

I believe that it would not be faithful of me to omit a very sobering warning regarding the cares and pleasures of this life.  The pull from the world is very strong and Jesus told us that it can in fact choke the word making it unfruitful.  It is true that some who once heard the word and professed faith in Christ, years later have become so absorbed by the cares and pleasures of the world, that the word no longer has any place in their heart and they have completely turned from Christ to the world.  Such persons were never truly Christ's, and this is an extremely sad thing to consider.  For this reason, we must take heed of the Lord's words.  I want to be clear, that we are kept by the power of God through faith, and that it is the righteousness of Christ and his resurrection that is the basis of our hope for being right with God.  We must heed our Lord's warnings because he is our Shepard and knows the dangers that are present in this world.  It is highly unlikely that one who is known by the Lord will simply ignore what he has to say or take it lightly, for Jesus says, "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life and they shall never perish; no one shall snatch them out of my hand."

Every day, we are bombarded with the message that we must pursue wealth, business success, advanced educational degrees, the possession of nice cars, nice homes, nice clothes, boost our aesthetic appeal, etc.  That is not to say that each of these things is bad (although some may be very questionable), however, they can become bad if they become a second master is our lives, and pull us away from God and his will.

We must walk by faith and not sight, reminding ourselves and our brethren of the truth; foremost, that we have been begotten to a living hope through the resurrection of Christ, conveyed from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of God's Son Jesus, and that we are a new creations in Christ.  This must be the bedrock of our hope and confidence before God, and feed our desires not to turn back, but to go on with the Lord in faithful obedience looking forward to being with Jesus in our heavenly home.

"I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." - Philippians 3:12b

We have a crown waiting for us in heaven, we have an eternal home, we have a residence with God, we will be with Christ, and we will have no more sorrow, loss, or pain.  The promises, hope, and rewards waiting for us in our heavenly home are far superior to the temporary pleasures that this life can offer.  We must exhort one another daily in this hope!  The reality of this heavenly dwelling accentuates the strength of the pull from this world; nobody would choose this present world if they were given spiritual eyes to see and understand what is promised for those in Christ who love God because he first loved them.  We must walk by faith!

Jesus gave a parable about a shrewd manager [Luke 16:1-13], that ended with Jesus saying: "The sons of this world are more shrewd in their generation than the sons of light."  We should use our money and other resources to advance the gospel.  We cannot serve two masters!  If Jesus is our Lord, then let us follow him, and use what he has given us to do this will.  If we are unfaithful with this, we cannot be entrusted with true riches.  Many people long to go to be pastors, missionaries, small group leaders, etc., but are not faithful to the things immediately before us.  I don't believe the scope of this passage is limited to faithfulness with God's money (that we possess), but also smaller steps of obedience that he has given us, consistent time with him in prayer and in the word, sharing the gospel with people, giving up things that he puts his finger on, and of course how we use money.

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor.  Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work. - 2 Timothy 2:20-21

It is also good for us to seek God's grace to repent of sins that will keep us from usefulness to God.

In summary, we must lift up our eyes and look at the fields.  Take your eyes away from your earthly ambitions, worries, business, and cares, and look at what the Lord of the harvest, Jesus, is doing right now.  There are people at your job who don't know Christ, neighbors, friends, family -- are you reaching out to them to make disciples?  There are refugees from Syria, Congo, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iran, and Myanmar; new neighbors from India; and people living in difficult-to-reach countries such as Libya, Indonesia, Mauritania, Algeria, Pakistan, etc.  The Lord Jesus is raising up workers for these harvests, God is moving people from the domain of darkness to the kingdom of his Son, and the Holy Spirit is powerfully changing the hearts of people who once had no light.  Are you involved in this work?  If not:

"Lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest."  May God grant this to us all -- Amen!