The Samaritan woman Jesus met at the well was thirsty for something different in her life. She longed for this “living water” that Jesus spoke of and knew there were many others who would want to encounter Jesus just as she had. The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village to tell everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” – John 4:29
In the meantime, the disciples returned with food for Jesus and He turned His focus on them, speaking again in symbolic language. Jesus turned down their offer for food and they wondered who had fed Jesus while they were in town. They did not understand the fulfillment Jesus had received by doing the will of His Heavenly Father.
Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work. You know the saying, ‘Four months between planting and harvest.’ But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest. The harvesters are paid good wages, and the fruit they harvest is people brought to eternal life. What joy awaits both the planter and the harvester alike! You know the saying, ‘One plants and another harvests.’ And it’s true. I sent you to harvest where you didn’t plant; others had already done the work, and now you will get to gather the harvest.” – John 4:34-38
Jesus knew there was no greater fulfillment in life than to be in the center of God’s will – doing what God wants us to do where He wants us to do it, impacting the lives of those He places in our path. Jesus did not want to miss one opportunity to offer the gift of life to God’s children.
“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day” (John 6:38-40).
When the Samaritan woman went back to the village to tell them about Jesus, the people came streaming out to see him. Many believed and asked Jesus to stay in their village, so he stayed for two days. He could have said he was too busy or was on his way to do something else, but he stayed. In those two days, many more people heard his message and believed. They turned to the woman and said, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the World” (4:42).
The fields were ripe for harvest – the people were hungry for an encounter with Jesus! Do we desire to do the will of God today, even if it requires getting out of our comfort zone and leading someone to Jesus? My prayer today is that God will show us the fields that are ripe for harvest – that the harvest we reap today will be people who are brought to eternal life. What joy we will experience if we allow God to use us in this way today!
So far in 2012, the gospel has been presented to 400 people who have entered the doors of a Living Alternatives Pregnancy Resource Center. This represents 400 people who were asked if they would like to hear the gospel and said “yes.” 400 people willing to hear what we have to say – we are standing in the middle of a field ripe for harvest! Out of those 400 people, 80 accepted Christ for the first time becoming a new believer in Jesus and 25 recommitted their lives to God. Praise God! Last year, we saw 259 people make a spiritual decision for Christ out of the 841 who heard the gospel. That’s 30% of those who heard the gospel accepting the message of salvation last year, and 26% so far this year. These numbers represent whole families who have come to the Lord, found a Church to attend and are serving the Lord today.
So can we conclude from this that 26-30% of people we know would repent and accept Christ Jesus as their Savior if only given the opportunity? These gospel presentations were mostly for individuals we had known less than 30 minutes. Imagine the willingness to hear God’s plan from friends, coworkers, neighbors and family we have known for months or years.
“We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work” (Jesus’ words in John 9:4). Our time is limited. May we seek to do God’s will today, listening to our Heavenly Father and responding to His Spirit’s voice. May we see through His eyes the harvest around us and may we sense the urgency to carry out the tasks assigned us by the One who sent us.