Ripe Harvest

(Matthew 9:37-38)

• For years I saw you from across the street. God's Spirit moved inside me but I chose to ignore.
• Sharing Christ with you could have been a blessing so sweet. Now the Spirit is quiet and rarely moves anymore.
• I was always very friendly, hoping you'd see the life-changing event that took place in my life. But wait, you didn't know me when my life was so bleak and so full of strife.
• Well anyway, I'm certain you'll see how different I am and eventually ask why.
• Even though we never talk more than to say nice weather, how's your family, or sometimes just "hi".
• I just really couldn't bother you, impose, or intrude. Somehow I've equated sharing Christ with being rude.

My neighborhood is a ripe harvest just waiting for me to start. I can feel Him pulling at my heart.I have been given a task from above. Now is the time for me to fill my neighborhood with love.

• For years I saw you from across the office. I felt so ill equipped to speak, I'm such a novice.
• Everyday we'd pass each other in the halls; I’d look down at my shoes or stare at the walls.
• I am a Christian from 5 to 9 everyday, even though I gave my entire life to Jesus, or so I say.
• From 9 to 5 I'm here to work. I have to concentrate on the things that really matter.
  You know, like earning a living, making lewd jokes and seeking my peers and bosses flatter.
• I saw you slipping further from where you ought to be, but if I said something, what would you think of me?
• I often felt compelled to approach but didn't know how to broach the subject of your eternity.
• I'll leave it to someone else; after all I'm not the only person of God you'll see...

My workplace is a ripe harvest just waiting for me to start. I can feel Him pulling at my heart. I have been given a task from above. Now is the time for me to fill my workplace with love.

• For years I saw you from across the aisle. Nodding politely then looking away.
  Could we have been friends all this while? There's an unseen wall that keeps us at bay.
• Sharing ourselves could have saved so much strife and pain. Our strength and wisdom becoming twofold.
• By foregoing relationship our immediate comfort is all we gain. We are missing out on blessings untold.
• Refusing to step outside that zone, we continue to seek and search all on our own.
  Walking blindly as our destinies unfold, we wonder why at times the church leaves us cold.

My church is a ripe harvest just waiting for me to start. I can feel Him pulling at my heart. I have been given a task from above. Now is the time for me to fill my church with love.

• For years I saw you at gas stations, dry cleaners and stores. I had my agenda and you had yours.
• In such a brief moment could I have impacted your life? I'll never know because I never tried.
• Excuses for my silence abound and even some really good ones I've found.
  I valued these excuses more than your eternity. How could I possibly ask you to forgive me?
• I was given a gift and was told to share. The more I understand this gift the more I begin to care.
• It was for good reason that he left us with this bit of wealth: "Love your neighbor as yourself"
• The time is now but the workers are few. So it all comes down to just me and you.
  

The world is a ripe harvest just waiting for us to start. Can you feel Him pulling at your heart? You and I have been given a task from above. Now is time for us to fill our lives with love.