Listen to this devotion
With Thankful Hearts
In the Word
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37).
Of the Word
One of my favorite holidays falls on the fourth Thursday of every November, Thanksgiving Day! We have an opportunity to be with our extended family. Football contests create friendly family rivalries that allow us to tease each other and to enjoy each other’s company. The little ones in the family, now our grandchildren, squeal with gleeful joy as they run to and fro looking for fun ways to pass the time.
Of course, there are the meals! What bounty the good Lord places before us! Evidence of God’s wonderful provision for us abundantly layers the tables. We give thanks to our God for all of these wonderful blessings and then enjoy time around the table with all of our loved ones.
Yes, we give thanks for a plentiful harvest on Thanksgiving Day. But there is another, even more important, harvest. The fields of this harvest are so full that they are laden with the bounty God has provided. The Lord has commanded that workers bring in this harvest. We need these harvesters to share God’s Word, that more will come to know Him, become His disciples, and join in the work of bringing in the harvest.
With thankful hearts, prepared by God, men and women go out into the harvest fields. Pastors, teachers, deaconesses, and directors of Christian education go into the fields to serve under the direction of the Lord and to bring in the harvest that God has so richly provided. Whatever our profession or season of life, we are all workers in the harvest field wherever God leads us in our daily lives.
Christ, through the work He finished on the cross, richly forgives all who believe in Him and confess their sins. He fills us with His joy and thanksgiving by the power of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, God also equips each of us to be part of His harvest. When we are connected to Christ, each one can bear much fruit!
Walking with my Lord
Lord of the harvest, raise up willing workers in this world to bring in Your harvest. Show me how I can best serve You to bring in the ripened sheaves. Let me never forget that each of us can play a part, whether large or small, in this important work. Help me to use my gifts and talents, that many may come to Your banquet table. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
