Matthew 9:35-38 – “Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.   36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”  NKJV

I often bite my tongue when someone says that to me as a justification for doing nothing.  I cannot count the number of times I’ve had someone tell me they were trying to find the will of God for their lives, their ministry niche or place of service.  I understand the desire to be obedient and consider it a commendable trait, but in light of the above passage and the expressed desire of the Lord to “seek and save the lost” how is it possible to find nothing to do in the Kingdom?

In my years serving as a lead pastor, I’ve had people come to me wanting something to do and when I suggested something beneath their perception of their gift, value or worth they were offended.  There have been times when a young person would come to me expressing a desire to enter the ministry and wanting me to be their mentor, I would assign them cleaning duties.  Some were offended and left, some grudgingly did the assigned tasks and others, without hesitation or complaint took on the task and did it with excellence.  The latter developed into servants God has used in wonderful ways.

How many people do you know who are lost?  How many do you suspect are lost?  How many of those have you entered into a conversation about their eternal destiny?  If there is a plenteous harvest lacking only laborers, why are our churches not more full each Sunday?  If we are to go into our Jerusalem, branch out to our Judea, and ultimately to the uttermost part of the earth or our world how is it that we can’t find anything to do or that we are willing to do?  Jesus said in John 4:35, “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!”  The Bible tells us that “TODAY is the day of salvation and NOW is the accepted time.” 

I do not like manipulation and realize that what I’m saying could be considered such but if we truly want to be used of God there is plenty to do.  If we want to win souls for the Kingdom the harvest is plenteous.  If our motive is serving God and our fellow man then whatever our hand finds to do we will do it with our might and consider no task beneath us.  I was taught in the early stages of my pursuit of Christian Ministry to be willing to do whatever was set before me.  I was taught that if my assignment was cleaning the toilets I was to be the best toilet cleaner possible.  No matter what my assignment was, if I did it as unto the LORD I would seek to be the best possible at that work.  That is why, when I worked in secular employment I sought to be the best employee the company had because I considered my labor as unto the LORD and understood that if I claimed to be a Christian my actions reflected on my LORD.

If you are trying to find your ministry or place of service, go to your leadership and volunteer for whatever is needed.  If that is your niche God will make it prosper and thrive.  It may be that in your humility and service promotion comes to that which is your true gift, call, and niche.  We are epistles known and read of men, therefore, let’s present them the best view of Christ and Christianity we can.

God bless you as you go through this day!