Reaching Potential

"The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." --- Matt. 9:37

I am proudly from South Georgia. My father's family is from Lee County and my mother's family is from Mitchell County, both of which are historically rural farming counties. If you have ever been to South Georgia you know that agriculture is and always has been the lifeline of the economy.

"Back in the good ole days," (or so my grandfathers told me) when harvest time came, everything else in the family's life was put on hold. Kids did not go to school during the harvest because their labor was of such importance to the family's survival. For some families, like my grandfather's on my mother's side, it was a very tough time to live. Survival literally depended upon what they were able to provide for themselves. Whether the crop was sold or actually consumed by the family, everything hinged on the outcome of the harvest. The importance of the harvest was understood by everyone in the family, and sacrifices were made accordingly.

How much more important is the spiritual harvest we are called to work in? I know in theory everyone reading this will agree that it is very important, but in practice only a "FEW" of us (out of all Christians) truly believe it is so important. Or we might believe it is that important, but we are not disciplined enough to actually go and do the work it takes to make a difference in the harvest. Don't get mad at me, I'm just repeating what Jesus said over 2000 years ago.

"Workers" here is ergates, which refers to a "hired worker" or "a labourer." Someone who is paid to actually get down and "get a little dirt on their hands" (bonus points to anyone who can tell me who sings this song) and get the job done. Jesus means there is only a small number of believers who are going to "present their bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is (their) spiritual service of worship." (Rom. 12:1). The number of Christians who are going to press on is very minute. Only a small percentage will take this invisible warfare seriously. Only a "few" of us will accept and run with the responsibility of honorably representing Jesus Christ to the rest of the world. We are called to make a difference for Jesus Christ, but most of us will never answer the call.

The Christian Way of Life is similiar to a basketball team. As believers, we are all like lottery picks (very high 1st round draft picks for those of you who don't watch sports). God has invested a lot in us. Being an ambassador for Jesus Christ means we inherit a lot of responsibility. Lottery picks are drafted for one reason...to make a difference on the court in games. They are not intended to serve as dummies in practice. Nothing is more dissapointing and damaging to a team than to waste a lottery pick on a player that does not make a difference for the team in the games.

So far in his young career, Kwame Brown is an example of a wasted lottery pick. This guy is a 7 footer who can handle the ball, rebound, and play defense. He has all the physical tools, he has the ability to do it all. He was drafted #1 overall straight out of high school by the Washington Wizards, and unfortunately he has never lived up to his potential. This year he was so useless to his team that he did not even travel to Chicago for a crucial deciding playoff game. There is no doubt that he has the potential, he is simply not willing to put forth the effort to effectively participate in the Wizards system of basketball. Eddie Jordan (the Wizards coach) has no power over Kwame's willingness to apply all the tools he has. Kwame still gets a paycheck, but he is in no way helping the franchise.

In the same way, we all have potential to effectively participate in the spiritual harvest. We already have all the tools we need. Philippians 4:19 tells us "God will supply (us) with all (our)needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." The only question is will we put forth the effort to make a difference? If you read on to Matthew chapter 10, you will see that after Jesus declares there are only a "few" workers, he sends out 12 who are willilng to be part of the "few." With these 12 the world was changed forever. God will use those of us who will choose to make ourselves available to Him, but it's a choice we have to make. Do you want to participate in the harvest or do you want to sit on the bench? The choice is yours!