36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
“Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are ripe already to harvest” was the admonition the Lord gave His disciples regarding their attitude to evangelism and soul winning. However, before the Lord gave them that admonition, He had said to them, “do not say, there are four months and then comes harvest”. In other words, the Lord Jesus Christ was saying that they shouldn’t procrastinate concerning the harvest of souls. He said the fields are white or ripe already to harvest. The Lord was showing them something very profound here: procrastination or readiness regarding the harvest depends solely on how they see the harvest. Procrastination is a result of seeing that the fields are not yet ripe to harvest, while readiness or alacrity is as a result of seeing that the fields are ripe already to harvest. So, the Lord wanted their perspective of the harvest to be consistent with the reality of what was on ground – the fields are ripe to harvest. He then called their attention to the fact that the fields are white already to harvest. How? The Lord said to them, lift up your eyes and look on the field; for they are white already to harvest. Perspective is everything. How you see life determines how you will live it. Your sense of reality is as good and as strong as your perspective – what you can see and how you see life.
To lift up your eyes simply means to raise your expectations, and see what God is showing you. It means to look on the field, don’t look away from it. Look at what God is showing you. Look at that soul and let compassion move you. Yes, there is a difference between sympathy and compassion. For instance, if a believer looks at someone who is dying in his sins and says, “ah poor fellow” but doesn’t do something to help him, that is sympathy. But compassion will always do something about that situation. Stop pitying people. It is time to move with compassion and help them. So, don’t miss an opportunity to preach the Gospel when it comes to you. Seize the opportunity to save a soul by sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Don’t say I have learnt to be quiet and to mind my own business. The Father’s business is your business. Preach the Gospel, when it is convenient and when it is not!
MY SOLID FRONT (YOUR CONFESSION):
In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I declare that I am a soul winner. I win souls everywhere and every day. I lift up my eyes and look on the fields of souls to harvest them for the Lord! Hallelujah!
Further Meditation:
Matthew 9:36; Luke 2:49.