Matthew 9:35-38
Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Have you ever watched a child play with bubbles? You know the ones I'm talking about - those in the bottle or tube with the little wand that has a circular band on the end for creating delicate - and elusive - prismatic spheres that quickly drift away or fall to the ground and burst. Children are often all about catching those bubbles and holding onto them for a few seconds. But their attention quickly turns to the next batch.
I'm afraid this is just how we Christians often treat new believers. We are so invested in them...so concerned about their spiritual future...so eager for them to invite Jesus to be the LORD of their life. We want to add their names to our membership rolls at church and share their story with others. We are excited about their decision and hold them up as examples of how Jesus can work in the lives of others. And then we are done.
This is how we interpret Jesus's challenge to be "harvest hands". We're a lot like the child with bubbles...or a kid opening presents at Christmas or on his/her birthday. Each package holds our attention for a few minutes...and then we move on to the next one. In my opinion, many of the "confused and aimless" to whom Jesus refers in this passage are not the "lost"...at least not in the sense of this word that we generally recognize.
Take a good look at the prayer list for your church. How many of those folks do you know personally? Have you not only prayed for them, but also connected with some of them...sent a card, made a phone call, dispatched an encouraging e-mail or just offered a hug or handshake when you met them in public? Take a mental inventory of those who attend your church - or rather, attended. Where are they now? If they have stopped coming on Sunday, do you know why? What about that person in your circle or the community at large who seems to have dropped off the face of the earth? Have you made any inquiries about these folks? Are their hearts bruised and hurting? Are they sick or in need of some kind?
What about the elderly and infirm? Are they shut away in a facility or at home, and no one other than paid employees or immediate relatives are checking on them to let them know that they matter? Are we so busy flitting from one "pretty bubble" or gift to the next that we have neglected the "sheep" in our midst? I honestly believe that when Jesus "visits our towns and villages", He is grieved at how quickly we lose interest and focus in those who are in our own back yards.
Remember the story in Luke 15:3-4 of the "lost sheep", and how Jesus talks about going after one out of 99 that was missing. Each person is precious to Him. We all matter! Our transformation in Jesus is instantaneous...and at the same, we are ongoing "works in progress". We all need continual nurture and care. And as much as Jesus seeks "harvest hands" to bring more people into a relationship with Him, He wants us to cultivate strong discipleships and kinship among fellow believers.
We desperately need real "harvest hands"...believers who are awake, alert and "dialed in" to the needs of those in their midst. In every "town and village", there are sick, bruised, hurting and lonely people who are hungry for a touch of Jesus' love and care...and YOU may be the person He has chosen to deliver it. Will you be so busy blowing new bubbles that you fail to recognize those all around you?
Are you ready to get your "harvest hands" dirty for Jesus? Don't you think you should be?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Showing posts with label meeting the needs of others. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meeting the needs of others. Show all posts
Daily Devotional for April 5, 2014
Matthew 18:10-14
“Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
“Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In my opinion, there are few sitcoms on television today that are truly funny. Even fewer avoid tactics such as crude language and behavior, innuendo, and downright tackiness. But one of the “good guys” is ABC’s The Goldbergs. According to information about the show posted on ABC’s website*: “Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the '80s. For geeky 11-year old Adam (Sean Giambrone) these were his wonder years and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling.”
This show is based on the real life of Adam Goldberg, whose character “narrates” in a “Wonder Years” style (for those of you who remember that show!). Poor Adam has his share of woes. In a recent episode, he reminisced (not so fondly) about his days in gym class, when he was often the last person selected for team sports like kickball. In many ways, he was very much a lost, forgotten “sheep” to most everyone – except his mother, Beverly. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her baby. She was willing to put herself on the line and look foolish – or “pull strings” and raise a ruckus to get the attention of people who knew people. She put her “skills” to work to get Adam a “Presidential pardon” from taking the President’s Physical fitness test, because he feared he could not do a pull-up!
Not to be outdone…Adam’s other family members – including his dad, brother, sister, and grandpa - had their own ways of protecting this baby brother. Ultimately, Adam was greatly loved and nurtured. Quite frankly, there are undertones amidst the humor of this wacky family story that the bonds run deep among all of them. I wouldn’t say they always operate with compassion…but at the end of the day, not one “sheep” goes untended.
Here’s how I see this scripture passage from Matthew 18 in relation to The Goldbergs. There are a lot of instances where we have an opportunity to “pick sides”… or to leave someone “out of the loop”. There are times when all of us have felt like an outsider…like we didn’t fit in – and frankly, nobody seemed to notice or care. But here’s the thing… Jesus cares…always.
“So why did He let me suffer through such embarrassment, abuse, pain, exile?” you may be asking. The simple answer is that I don’t know…except to say that I am confident that God never wastes an experience or an opportunity. More to the point, what are you doing with that experience? How are you using it in a positive manner now…maybe in helping someone through a similar situation or reaching out to others and sharing how God sustained you in a dark time?
Are you looking at other people with fresh eyes and making a point to find worth and value in each of them, so that not a single one is lost? Have you noticed that some of your friends, acquaintances, and fellow church members have drifted away…and to be honest, you don’t have a clue where they went or what happened to them?
Isn’t it time we started paying attention to each other? Isn’t it time we recognized when circumstances are allowing a “sheep” to wander or be pushed aside? Will we recognize the signs and obediently go after them? Are we willing to stick our necks out with “Bev Goldberg-style enthusiasm” and risk momentary discomfort or embarrassment for the welfare of even one of God’s children? Wouldn’t we want someone to come after us in a similar situation?
Stop and recognize how important you are to Jesus. Fully acknowledge and accept that He sacrificed EVERYTHING… for YOU! How can we consider for even a moment leaving another of God’s creatures behind…or ignoring their needs. Look around you…there’s a “sheep” somewhere in your circle who needs rescuing. Will you go after him/her? Don’t you think you should?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* http://abc.go.com/shows/the-goldbergs
“Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?
“Look at it this way. If someone has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders off, doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine and go after the one? And if he finds it, doesn’t he make far more over it than over the ninety-nine who stay put? Your Father in heaven feels the same way. He doesn’t want to lose even one of these simple believers.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
In my opinion, there are few sitcoms on television today that are truly funny. Even fewer avoid tactics such as crude language and behavior, innuendo, and downright tackiness. But one of the “good guys” is ABC’s The Goldbergs. According to information about the show posted on ABC’s website*: “Before there were parenting blogs, trophies for showing up, and peanut allergies, there was a simpler time called the '80s. For geeky 11-year old Adam (Sean Giambrone) these were his wonder years and he faced them armed with a video camera to capture all the crazy. The Goldbergs are a loving family like any other, just with a lot more yelling.”
This show is based on the real life of Adam Goldberg, whose character “narrates” in a “Wonder Years” style (for those of you who remember that show!). Poor Adam has his share of woes. In a recent episode, he reminisced (not so fondly) about his days in gym class, when he was often the last person selected for team sports like kickball. In many ways, he was very much a lost, forgotten “sheep” to most everyone – except his mother, Beverly. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for her baby. She was willing to put herself on the line and look foolish – or “pull strings” and raise a ruckus to get the attention of people who knew people. She put her “skills” to work to get Adam a “Presidential pardon” from taking the President’s Physical fitness test, because he feared he could not do a pull-up!
Not to be outdone…Adam’s other family members – including his dad, brother, sister, and grandpa - had their own ways of protecting this baby brother. Ultimately, Adam was greatly loved and nurtured. Quite frankly, there are undertones amidst the humor of this wacky family story that the bonds run deep among all of them. I wouldn’t say they always operate with compassion…but at the end of the day, not one “sheep” goes untended.
Here’s how I see this scripture passage from Matthew 18 in relation to The Goldbergs. There are a lot of instances where we have an opportunity to “pick sides”… or to leave someone “out of the loop”. There are times when all of us have felt like an outsider…like we didn’t fit in – and frankly, nobody seemed to notice or care. But here’s the thing… Jesus cares…always.
“So why did He let me suffer through such embarrassment, abuse, pain, exile?” you may be asking. The simple answer is that I don’t know…except to say that I am confident that God never wastes an experience or an opportunity. More to the point, what are you doing with that experience? How are you using it in a positive manner now…maybe in helping someone through a similar situation or reaching out to others and sharing how God sustained you in a dark time?
Are you looking at other people with fresh eyes and making a point to find worth and value in each of them, so that not a single one is lost? Have you noticed that some of your friends, acquaintances, and fellow church members have drifted away…and to be honest, you don’t have a clue where they went or what happened to them?
Isn’t it time we started paying attention to each other? Isn’t it time we recognized when circumstances are allowing a “sheep” to wander or be pushed aside? Will we recognize the signs and obediently go after them? Are we willing to stick our necks out with “Bev Goldberg-style enthusiasm” and risk momentary discomfort or embarrassment for the welfare of even one of God’s children? Wouldn’t we want someone to come after us in a similar situation?
Stop and recognize how important you are to Jesus. Fully acknowledge and accept that He sacrificed EVERYTHING… for YOU! How can we consider for even a moment leaving another of God’s creatures behind…or ignoring their needs. Look around you…there’s a “sheep” somewhere in your circle who needs rescuing. Will you go after him/her? Don’t you think you should?
©2014 Debbie Robus
* http://abc.go.com/shows/the-goldbergs
Daily Devotional for January 3, 2014
Proverbs 19:17
Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,
and God pays back those loans in full.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Johanna is a member of my church whose friend Peri is at the terminal stage of her fight with ovarian cancer. Peri has five children between the ages of 6 and 21. Her end-of-life goal is to leave a pictorial legacy for her children in the form of scrapbooks with narratives. So Johanna organized scrapbook parties at our church’s Fellowship Hall and asked those who could spare a little time to come and crop/glue photos into scrapbooks. Peri will then journal the stories behind these pictures for her children. There has already been one day of scrapbooking… and tomorrow, a group will gather for the second.
Most of the women who are helping with this have never met Peri. I would venture to say that they all know Johanna… but there may be a few who don’t really know her very well. And I am quite certain that many of the women who will gather have plenty of other things they could do with their Saturday. Most have children and families of their own. But they see a need…to lend some of their time to a sister in Christ and her dear friend. I have no doubt that their efforts and sacrifices will be repaid - with dividends.
Has someone ever given up something for you? I don’t necessarily mean a material possession… or money itself. Perhaps someone has dropped everything to help you with a project…or maybe they cancelled plans because you had a crisis and needed them. Has it ever occurred to you that any time a person gives of their time, energy, possessions or money… they could easily have spent this on someone or something else?
Think about it. The friend or relative who loaned you money to buy a new car could have spent those dollars on something for themselves… the person who knocks on your door when you are sick and says, “I brought you chicken soup” could easily use that time doing something for himself or another person. The friend who shows up at your loved one’s funeral or comes to visit you and support you while you grieve could be doing a myriad of other things with his/her time. Those who offer to keep your kids while you have a break… for an hour or two – or even a few days… could surely have used this time doing something else, if even sitting and watching a movie or reading a book! But YOU were chosen...your needs were important enough for someone to drop what they were doing… or reach into their pantry or pocket...and say, “Let me help you.”
This sounds like a simple thing, which is why we take so many kindnesses for granted. We fail to recognize the sacrifices others make on our behalf. We also may be unwilling to recognize the needs of others and meet them ourselves. In other words, we are often pretty selfish and ungrateful.
My challenge to you today is to ask God to show you what needs He wants you to meet…then do it! I’m not saying you have to loan someone money or make chicken soup, attend a funeral - or even help create scrapbooks for a dying mother to leave for her children. But I am quite certain that today – and every day – there is at least one way you can “help the needy”.
By the same token, I am asking you to take a long hard look at your daily living and note where – and how – others are meeting YOUR needs in Jesus’ name. Who is extending kindnesses, grace and mercy to you? Who is coming to your rescue when you experience difficulties? Who listens when you need a friendly ear? Who is taking time to let you know that you are important? Are you grateful? Are you “paying it forward” by sharing empathy and kindness with someone else? Do you at least say “Thank you!”?
Not every act of compassion will involve something as tangible as creating scrapbooks or making a sacrifice of some sort. But all are important and represent a “loan” to God… which He always repays. And honestly, it’s not about the restitution…it’s about the gratitude. Are you grateful enough for everything that God has given you to be a good steward of His gifts…both as a “lender” and a recipient? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
Mercy to the needy is a loan to God,
and God pays back those loans in full.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Johanna is a member of my church whose friend Peri is at the terminal stage of her fight with ovarian cancer. Peri has five children between the ages of 6 and 21. Her end-of-life goal is to leave a pictorial legacy for her children in the form of scrapbooks with narratives. So Johanna organized scrapbook parties at our church’s Fellowship Hall and asked those who could spare a little time to come and crop/glue photos into scrapbooks. Peri will then journal the stories behind these pictures for her children. There has already been one day of scrapbooking… and tomorrow, a group will gather for the second.
Most of the women who are helping with this have never met Peri. I would venture to say that they all know Johanna… but there may be a few who don’t really know her very well. And I am quite certain that many of the women who will gather have plenty of other things they could do with their Saturday. Most have children and families of their own. But they see a need…to lend some of their time to a sister in Christ and her dear friend. I have no doubt that their efforts and sacrifices will be repaid - with dividends.
Has someone ever given up something for you? I don’t necessarily mean a material possession… or money itself. Perhaps someone has dropped everything to help you with a project…or maybe they cancelled plans because you had a crisis and needed them. Has it ever occurred to you that any time a person gives of their time, energy, possessions or money… they could easily have spent this on someone or something else?
Think about it. The friend or relative who loaned you money to buy a new car could have spent those dollars on something for themselves… the person who knocks on your door when you are sick and says, “I brought you chicken soup” could easily use that time doing something for himself or another person. The friend who shows up at your loved one’s funeral or comes to visit you and support you while you grieve could be doing a myriad of other things with his/her time. Those who offer to keep your kids while you have a break… for an hour or two – or even a few days… could surely have used this time doing something else, if even sitting and watching a movie or reading a book! But YOU were chosen...your needs were important enough for someone to drop what they were doing… or reach into their pantry or pocket...and say, “Let me help you.”
This sounds like a simple thing, which is why we take so many kindnesses for granted. We fail to recognize the sacrifices others make on our behalf. We also may be unwilling to recognize the needs of others and meet them ourselves. In other words, we are often pretty selfish and ungrateful.
My challenge to you today is to ask God to show you what needs He wants you to meet…then do it! I’m not saying you have to loan someone money or make chicken soup, attend a funeral - or even help create scrapbooks for a dying mother to leave for her children. But I am quite certain that today – and every day – there is at least one way you can “help the needy”.
By the same token, I am asking you to take a long hard look at your daily living and note where – and how – others are meeting YOUR needs in Jesus’ name. Who is extending kindnesses, grace and mercy to you? Who is coming to your rescue when you experience difficulties? Who listens when you need a friendly ear? Who is taking time to let you know that you are important? Are you grateful? Are you “paying it forward” by sharing empathy and kindness with someone else? Do you at least say “Thank you!”?
Not every act of compassion will involve something as tangible as creating scrapbooks or making a sacrifice of some sort. But all are important and represent a “loan” to God… which He always repays. And honestly, it’s not about the restitution…it’s about the gratitude. Are you grateful enough for everything that God has given you to be a good steward of His gifts…both as a “lender” and a recipient? Isn’t it time you were?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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