Philippians 1:22-26
I was blessed to work for a younger man at the end of my
career that had the ability to look at a problem and see opportunity. It seems that our world needs a person
like Kim, who sees what others see, but instead of being depressed, gets
excited about the ability to be a change agent. Paul was that type of person; he refused to let his
circumstances dictate his behavior, and we see many examples of that in the
Scriptures, one is Philippians 4:12,13.
Last night we had dinner at our home with a young lady who
knows God has called her to ministry in a Muslim country, she is not blind to
the many problems that face her, but like a Paul she is going with one
expectation, “I can do all things through him who
strengthens me.” (Philippians
4:13) Marcia was not looking for
some great thing she could do for God, she was looking to a great God and
asking Him to allow her to join Him.
I’ve never been in farming, but I have many friends that
farm, and all of them are in agreement that to produce a crop, you must plant
at the right time and also harvesting is critical in regards to the timing. Jesus spoke on this subject: “Then he
said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but
the workers are few. Ask the Lord
of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:37-38) Yes, our Lord Jesus Christ the Creator of all that is, had a
lot to say on you and I being part of the harvest. Jesus said to them, “My
food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do not say, ‘There are yet four months,
then comes the harvest’? Look I
tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” (John
4:34-35)
The apostle Paul was not a farmer, but unlike many churches,
pastors, and people who claim the name of Christ, Paul did not dwell on
problems, but on the opportunity.
He had two loves in his life, Jesus Christ and the world that needed to
be told of this amazing truth, “God loves you.” This is what he said, “If I am
to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall
choose I cannot tell. I am hard
pressed between the two. My desire
is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more
necessary on your account.” (Philippians 1:22-24) Paul goes on in the verse that follows
to state, but not in these words, the harvest is ready and I have been given
the ability by the Lord to equip each of you to go and reap.
We have a problem, and it’s not new, Jesus addressed it in
Matthew 9: 37-38, have you ever wondered what would happen if the church
focused on prayer, and not the latest program. I do not see anything in Scripture about the latest program
to entice the world, but we do have the Lord telling us to “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field.” We
who teach and those that preach, will all agree that only in prayer is there
power, but it seems that our churches no longer believe in prayer, it’s just
words. You see, our actions, speak
louder than our words.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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