Harvesting for the Promise Maker

by Kelly Dixon

"Do you not say, 'Four months more and then the harvest'?
I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!
They are ripe for harvest."
John 4:35 (NIV)

"Look a rainbow!!" My girls, along with their mother, love to see a beautiful rainbow in the sky right after the rain. They have actually only seen one or two; however, they enjoy using the water hose and holding it just right so that the sunlight makes a much smaller version of the rainbow in the sky. The beauty of the rainbow God places in the heavens just takes your breath away as you view the promise symbol from our Creator.

The most spectacular rainbow displays happen when half of the sky is still dark with draining clouds and the observer is at a spot with clear sky in the direction of the sun. This reminds me of the great harvest that Jesus tells His disciples about after His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. The woman was hungry for the truth. She had been living a life full of disappointment. She welcomed the words of the Messiah. Words of a living water. When the disciples returned they were shocked to see Jesus conversing with the woman. Yet, Jesus was ready to teach them about the great harvest that was awaiting them. To view a spectacular rainbow, you must be in a clear spot and facing the sun. To clearly view the promises of our Lord, we also must be in a clear spot and facing the one and only Son. Non-believers are in the dark and, yet, a rainbow of promise is right above them - waiting for them to accept. Those of us who see the promises and are focusing on the Son must harvest those who are in the dark. We must reveal to them the Good News of Jesus Christ and bring them into the clear spot so they too may be able to see the rainbow of promises from their Creator.

The field is ripe and awaiting us Christians today. Are you harvesting? Sometimes it is simple to do so. We can be like the Samaritan woman who simply went back to her town and said, "Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did." (John 4:29a) Simply invite your neighbors and friends to church, to Bible study, to a women's retreat. Tell them about the experiences that you have had in the light of your Savior, Jesus Christ. Invite them to come out of the darkness and into the clear. Invite them to face the Son and let them discover for themselves the One and Only who died for their sins. The promises of the Creator are awaiting their discovery and the task of harvesting has been handed to every believer.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be the harvester You want me to be. May I open my eyes and see the field that is ripe for harvest. The field that You have placed in my immediate surroundings. Give me the courage and strength to invite others out of the darkness and into the clear so they can see Your promises. Especially the promise of their source of salvation - Jesus Christ. It is in His name I pray. Amen.