Harvest Time – Be Single Minded

John 4:35 (NKJV)

“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!”

I’ve been traveling a bit lately and I passed through an area of our country that is peppered with cotton fields. This time of year, you notice that the cotton bolls are full grown and the beauty of the white overshadows the brown stem of the plant. It caused me to remember this verse.

I confess, I didn’t really remember the first part of the verse but I think it is very poignant given the days we are living. Perhaps we need to check our human expectations at the door. Many think the rapture is just around the corner. So they may not be too motivated to try make a difference toward change. They plan to hunker down, wait it out, and it will be Jesus to the rescue. Others are so busy with their “normal” lives that they aren’t really concerned about anything taking place in the world because “it is what it is”. In general, it’s too soon to be concerned about anything major, and besides that, all the talk about major stuff is just made up fluff that is a waste of time.They have a life to live and maybe “four months from now” they’ll start paying attention to spiritual things.

Jesus suggests we open our eyes, look around, and pay attention. The time is now if we want to make a difference for the kingdom. It takes awareness and work. If a farmer misses the harvest time of his crop he ends up with nothing except maybe spoiled goods. If we miss the harvest time for spiritual things today, we may lose more than a crop.

I recently heard about a survey in the United States that revealed that the percentage of people who are willing to have a conversation about spiritual things has increased significantly. Depending on the location, the numbers could range from 60 to 90 percent. That means a minimum of one out of every two people we meet on the street are likely to be willing to have a conversation if we just ask. Something as simple as “Have you ever thought about spiritual things?” could be the door that opens to a God moment. A God moment multiplied leads to changed lives, changed families, changed communities, changed cities, changed states and changed nations.

God is moving in the earth. He’s moving in our cities and states. Let’s not miss our opportunity to be used by Him to reach others. Let’s not sit on our hands waiting for escape or ignoring our responsibility as a follower of Jesus Christ. Let’s be willing to be a resource for those who need Jesus. We don’t have to know it all. We just have to be willing and be real. Ask the question. Have an honest conversation. Be available and let God do what He will do through you because harvest time is here.