Thursday, April 4, 2013

Conversations that Count: Challenge

"Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat.' But He said to them, 'I have food to eat that you do not know about.' So the disciples were saying to one another, 'No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?' 

"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, life up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 

"Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor'" (John 4:31-38, NASB).

Sometimes, I think it can take me a while to see an opportunity to share my faith. I live in a huge city, and I can run across so many people in a day. There are so many things to do in a day, and most of the time, I truly enjoy doing them. How long do I take a moment, though, to pray and notice others around me who may need God? This is a question I'd like to ask myself more regularly.

Even though we may be slow learners at times, take heart in knowing that God is love, and love is patient and kind. We have a wise and all-knowing Father God who knows what's going on inside us as well as in the world around us. We can come to Him with our prayers, knowing that what is asked in faith will be heard.

Let us pray that God opens our eyes more and that he helps us be aware of people who may not know Him yet. Let us pray that we can encourage others and help them see God, who loves us and wants to transform our lives for the better, into a deep, real relationship with Him.

Study based on the workbook HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart (Jaye Martin, 1999).