He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields." Matthew 9:37-38
Every week when I walk into my office at our church, I am overwhelmed with the task that is at hand. We have over 14,000 people who call Sagebrush their home. There are so many opportunities to see lives transformed, both inside and outside the walls of our church. We sit in cities and nations that need the hope of Jesus Christ. I am often taken back by the challenge that is in front of me because the need is so great.
Jesus saw this as well when He walked the earth. He saw the opportunities all around Him to fix what was broken and to help people to find purpose. In Matthew's gospel, we see story after story of Jesus healing people on the inside and outside, curing them of blindness and releasing them from spiritual oppression. After traveling through all the towns and villages, preaching in synagogues, healing the sick, and sharing the Good News, Jesus was moved by the gravity of the task at hand. He knew that the mission of helping others to experience healing was great. Jesus didn't crawl into a corner, but instead, He encouraged His disciples to pray. He encouraged them to pray for more people to step up to serve with Him.
My prayer in the midst of being overwhelmed by those who are hurting and broken in our cities and nations is that God would raise up workers. My prayer is that I would stop trying to do the task of reaching Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, Farmington, Los Lunas, Santa Fe, and San Pedro on my own, but instead that God would supply the right people who are just as passionate about the Kingdom as I am. We can't do this alone as pastors at our church. We need people who will be willing to take up the towel to serve God.
As we learned this weekend, Moses couldn't lead the people alone, but instead found capable people that he trusted to serve with him. We need the same at Sagebrush. We are looking for people who first have a healthy relationship with God, and a passion for making Jesus Christ known. Have you found your sweet spot to serve? Why not get involved today.
There are two types of people who might be reading this daily devotional today. You might be in a place where you are serving at your church. If that is you, we want to encourage you to make sure your relationship with God is healthy. Don't confuse your service as the end all/be all in your relationship with God. You still need to make time to connect with Him daily.
If you haven't found a place to serve yet, we want to challenge you to join our team. The harvest is plentiful as Jesus said, but the workers are few. We have been praying that you would join and partner with us on our mission. If you would like to get plugged in as a volunteer, please click on the following link to take up the towel with us (www.sagebrush.church/volunteer).
Read Matthew 9:27-38 (NLT)
After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! Jesus sternly warned them, “Don’t tell anyone about this.” But instead, they went out and spread his fame all over the region.
When they left, a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak was brought to Jesus. So Jesus cast out the demon, and then the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed. “Nothing like this has ever happened in Israel!” they exclaimed.
But the Pharisees said, “He can cast out demons because he is empowered by the prince of demons.”
Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
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