Lindy Cofer - I Saw the Lord 3-Day DevotionalSample

LORD OF THE HARVEST

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 9:35-38

"And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest."

DEVOTIONAL

Throughout the Bible we understand and see that Jesus was motivated and driven by love. He was not praying to the Lord of the Harvest to fulfill a task, but because he saw the crowds and was driven by compassion! Jesus sees. We can’t be motivated by anything other than love, or we are just adding to the noise.

Let's look deeper into the word compassion. When Jesus saw the crowd of ordinary people, he was moved with compassion. The word that is used for “moved with compassion”, splagchnistheis, is the strongest word for pity in the Greek language. It is formed from the word “splagchna”, which means the bowels, and it describes the compassion that moves people to the deepest depths of their being! Jesus' innermost being was moved by compassion. What’s amazing is that this Greek work is used only of Jesus. (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, 20:34; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13). Jesus is defining what compassion is. When we study these passages, we are able to see that the thing that moved Jesus most of all is compassion. Jesus saw. When he and the orthodox religious leaders of his day looked on the crowd of people, they saw them in very different ways. The Pharisees saw the masses as chaff to be destroyed and burned up; Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped and to be saved! The Pharisees, in their pride, looked for the destruction of sinners; Jesus, in love, died for the salvation of sinners. The harvest is ready! He wants the world to hear the gospel! But the world will never hear it unless there are those who are ready and willing to cross any sea and reach any heart to bring the good news!

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

What is your motivation in ministry?

Let’s ask Jesus to give us his compassion and eyes to see.

How is God sending you into the harvest?

Have you ever been so deeply gripped by something that you were moved to action?

We are called to join Jesus in praying for the harvest.

Let's take two minutes to pray that God would send laborers!