36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. 38 Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38
Many Christians go through life as nothing more than pew warmers. These are the ones that even bother to go to church at all. Jesus wants shepherds for His flock, laborers for His harvest, people who can share some of the burden of ministry. Do you have what it takes?
In these verses Jesus is going about His earthly ministry, preaching in synagogues and healing the sick. He takes a moment to reflect on the sheer number of people seeking Him out, and is moved with compassion for them. So many people seeking God but without direction. Jesus tells His disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest for more laborers, so that the harvest can be completed.
Who are these laborers? The answer is you and me, all Christians should be fellow laborers. All of us are given gifts to use in the service of the Lord. So what if you can’t preach or visit the sick in the hospital. Can you greet someone, and shake their hand when they walk in the church? Can you sweep up and empty a couple trash cans? How about learning to run the sound system in your church?
Even volunteering to type prayer requests in the bulletin will help. Anything you can do may free up someone else who is called to do the things you can’t. Moving from the ranks of the multitude to the ranks of the laborers is something every Christian should strive for.