Harvest Time
Luke 10:2
Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
I don’t know about you, but I love autumn. I enjoy watching the leaves fall to the ground, the cool nights, and the not so hot days, the pumpkins and squashes that decorate the front porches of the country homes. It is also the busiest time of the year for KST Ministries Farm: its harvest time! Our kitchen is very busy - Vernon making kimchi from the Asian cabbage and the onions and garlic we grew in our garden. I am busy canning, freezing, and dehydrating foods from the garden, making apple juice, pear juice, and grape juice from our fruit trees and grape vines. Each day, watching the pantry shelves fill up with lots of good food for the cold winter months makes all the hard work worth it. There is a deep sense of joy and satisfaction that you would have to experience by the doing.
It takes a lot of planning and hard work to get your garden started. What will you use, seeds or young plants? You can choose either to start your garden. Now, it’s time to choose the right garden bed. You need to have plenty of sun, space for the veggies to grow, and a water source nearby. Checking planting dates for the numerous varieties of plants is so important: some grow best in the coolness of early spring or late fall, while others fair better in the warmness off summer. Then there is the decision of what soil amendments to use - compost, mulch, or both; and what fertilizer to use and in what ratio. And then there is your soil-tilling equipment, a shovel and spade, or rake. Will you use a garden hose or water can for watering the plants? And what fencing materials will be needed? Then, before you know it, it’s time to plant your seeds or plants. So much think to about.
When I am working in my garden and am looking forward to the harvest that is going to take place of fruits and vegetables, it makes me think of Gods harvest that will soon take place - the harvest of His people that have look so diligently for His return, and who have worked so hard for His cause in sharing His love and good news to others. This is not a light work, but one that is “in season, out of season.” We are to be presenting the truth whenever the opportunity presents itself. Christians are to be workers together with Christ. Gods’ people are to engage in all types of evangelistic work in the field that begins in the home, then the neighborhood, in the work place, and extending out to all the world.
Ellen G White tells us in the Pamphlets; A Call to Service in the Master’s Harvest Field, We are to work as we have never worked before, especially as we approach the end of time. We are to seek every opportunity of drawing souls to Christ. The Lord is coming very soon, and we are entering into scenes of calamity, both on land and sea. Satanic agencies, though unseen, are working to destroy human life. We see prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes. If our life is hid with Christ in God, we shall see of His grace and salvation. Christ is coming to establish His kingdom in the earth. Let our tongues be sanctified, and used to glorify Him, and uplift others. As a people, we need to be reconverted, and our lives sanctified to declare the truth as it is in Jesus.
Sister White, also, states in The Fields Are Ready to Harvest, God selects His messengers, and gives them His message; and He says, “Forbid them not.” New methods must be introduced. God's people must awaken to the necessity of the time in which they are living. [Christ] knew that when the Holy Spirit should be poured out on the disciples, the harvest of His seed-sowing would be reaped. Thousands would be converted in a day....Time is passing, and the Lord calls upon the workers in all lines of His work to lift up their eyes and behold the fields all ripe for the harvest.
Our call to Country Living was not just about planting food for harvest, but to harvest souls for Christ. I am engaging in this joyful work of harvest, by God’s empowering grace. How about you!
