What does it mean to have a Harvest Mentality?
John 4:31 “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. 35 Do you 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.”
It is interesting to me that Jesus used this language when His disciples were trying to get Him to slow down and enjoy a meal. We all have to eat sometime, right?
Apparently, Jesus had more pressing things on His mind.
Whenever the harvest is brought up in the words of Jesus, there is always an urgency attached to it. His words evoke not just the need, but the time-sensitive nature of the work that is to be done. It’s not only that there are souls that need to be saved, but there are souls that need salvation RIGHT NOW. Not in four months, He says, but TODAY.
Jesus never prays that the harvest will come. Instead, He recognizes that the harvest is here, and we need to pray for more workers to bring it in!
This is the challenge of a harvest mentality – to get out of the mindset that the harvest is a far-off event that will require something of us in the future. Jesus says that the harvest is here now, and that investing in heavenly priorities will result in a heavenly reward (verse 36).
We need to be ok with being uncomfortable in order to gather the Harvest.
For Jesus, it was as fundamental as not taking the time to indulge in a big meal.
For others, it might be forgoing the extra night out, watching an evening ball game, or going on a bigger vacation.
For many believers, it will mean going the extra mile when souls are at stake. It will mean stepping forward to serve when the need arises, and being the first to say YES to service when everyone else can’t find the time.
I’ll leave you with this thought: For thousands of years, Christians have been praying for more workers to bring in the harvest. Have you ever thought that maybe their prayers have been answered…through you?
In Christ,
Steve Holder
