COMING HARVEST BY DR WILSON LIM
[Photos: Global Conference in Chaing Mai, Thailand]
COMING HARVEST
Shielding his eyes from the hot sun with the palm of his left hand, he looked across the field. He watched the golden stalks of barley wheat bob in the wind, ready to cast their heavy load to the harvester’s hands. Sweeping his right hand across the wide expanse of the field, he told his disciples
John 4:35 - 36 (NIV) 35Do you not say, ‘Four months more and then the harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36Even now the reaper draws his wages, even now he harvests the crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.
The implications of Jesus’ statement upon us is that:
The harvest is upon us sooner than we realise (v35a)
Is it possible for us to get so caught up in the busyness of life or even simply doing church, that we fail to notice the harvest time is upon us? Is it possible that we have in our minds, “Harvest is another 4 months away, or for another season in our lives?”
But if we would open our eyes and begin to discern, we would realise that time is short as the harvest is upon us. I have to admit that sometimes I forget. In the many important things that I have to deal with in my responsibilities, I may overlook the ripe harvest right before me. It could be a family relative my neighbour, the host serving me, the politician I am dealing with, the community in a town or city I am visiting.
I believe God wants to open our eyes to recognise that it is already harvest time, right in front of us. These seasons of harvest will lead the greater seasons of harvest that is to come. We need to be ready. We need to be prepared to reap effectively.
The harvest is more ripe than we imagine (v35b)
Not only is harvest time upon us but also the harvest is ripe. When a harvest is ripe, the reaper must swing into action. Time is of essence for if the reaper misses the season for reaping, the fruit will over-ripen and fall to waste on the ground. The ripe harvest waits for no man. The Church must be ready to move quickly when the harvest field opens up. This requires us to be in a state of readiness. The labourers need to be prepared for such times. Indeed, Jesus urged us to pray for more labourers to be released into the harvest fields.
Matthew 9:37 - 38 (NIV) 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
It is with this in mind that our coming Oceania Convention 2011 is themed “Prepare for the Harvest” http://www.hopemelbourne.org/oc2011/. I believe it is a season of the call of God upon us to rise up to the challenge of the harvest. To cast our eyes across the field and recognise the immense possibilities as well as the challenges that lies ahead. May I challenge us to come and be challenged and inspired to prepare our lives and our churches for the harvest that is right at our doorsteps.
Do pray with us that all will encounter God in our Convention. That many lives will be touched and transformed by the Holy Spirit. I continue to hear testimonies of people whose lives have been greatly impacted because they came for the Convention. It is a gathering not to be missed.
I look forward to seeing all of you soon.
In anticipation,
Dr Wilson Lim
Elder of HIM
www.byhim.org
Not only is harvest time upon us but also the harvest is ripe. When a harvest is ripe, the reaper must swing into action. Time is of essence for if the reaper misses the season for reaping, the fruit will over-ripen and fall to waste on the ground. The ripe harvest waits for no man. The Church must be ready to move quickly when the harvest field opens up. This requires us to be in a state of readiness. The labourers need to be prepared for such times. Indeed, Jesus urged us to pray for more labourers to be released into the harvest fields.
Matthew 9:37 - 38 (NIV) 37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
It is with this in mind that our coming Oceania Convention 2011 is themed “Prepare for the Harvest” http://www.hopemelbourne.org/oc2011/. I believe it is a season of the call of God upon us to rise up to the challenge of the harvest. To cast our eyes across the field and recognise the immense possibilities as well as the challenges that lies ahead. May I challenge us to come and be challenged and inspired to prepare our lives and our churches for the harvest that is right at our doorsteps.
Do pray with us that all will encounter God in our Convention. That many lives will be touched and transformed by the Holy Spirit. I continue to hear testimonies of people whose lives have been greatly impacted because they came for the Convention. It is a gathering not to be missed.
I look forward to seeing all of you soon.
In anticipation,
Dr Wilson Lim
Elder of HIM
www.byhim.org
