“37Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’” – Matthew 9:37-38 (ESV)
How often have I indicated that there was work to be done only to walk away without taking any action, to often for sure. It is easy for me to see and know that there is action that needs to be taken. I have looked at those instances and justified my inaction for them not being my responsibility, but are they really not mine?
I have a responsibility to the work that God has laid out for me in this world. I have to take action where action is needed. If it is not my role to do the work I see, then it is my role to ensure that the work is done by those that have the capacity to do it. In the event that there is no one that is assigned or that has the ability to do the work, then it is mine to do and then the discussion as to who will be responsible should come after. I should not just be avoiding the work because, “it is not my job”.
In this passage, Jesus was being followed by the disciples and the people alike. There was work to be done in bringing the people to Him for their salvation. The disciples knew that there was work to be done, however with Jesus right there, they were waiting for Him to do the work. Jesus took the opportunity to teach rather than rebuke. In the verses above He is telling the disciples that they are tasked with work, at minimum to find those to go and preach the gospel to the people, but as they were already there, they should be willing to do the work themselves.
Too often I wait to go. My prayer to and conversation with God should not be solely to discuss what should be done, but how and where I can take action. I should be asking to be sent to do the work of God in the world today. I should be going and not just sending others.
What actions do you take when there is work to be done? Are you quicker to tell others or to take action yourself? What if we prayed to be sent to do the work of God as opposed to asking for the work to be done?
Trevor's Thoughts 