A combine harvester in a field with a few rays of sunshine shine down. The thick clouds looming overhead and much wheat to bring in. A dry sunny day and it is perfect for reaping, but no one is in sight. The wheat is there for the reaping, and it is waiting.
Prayer and action must produce results. But if one of those things are missing or are forgotten then perhaps the other suffers. If prayer is missing then the action will suffer. If the action is missing then prayer will be for nothing. I think Jesus was all about prayer and action.
A dream
I was conducting a band for a performance for the King. The rehearsals had some good points, many people turned up so all the parts were filled.
Jesus is the King. He is coming to visit and we must prepare properly. Through prayer and godly living, that is living according to how the Spirit guides us.
I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you.
Was Ezekiel being told of a time when Jesus would send the Holy Spirit to all?
But during the rehearsals people were eating – whilst I was trying to rehearse the music!
Does comfort eating get in the way of a great prayer life? After all Jesus expected his disciples to fast after he had gone.
Matthew 9:14-15
Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
When the King arrived we performed the first half of our concert in another room so He couldn’t really hear it properly.
Are we in the correct frame of mind when praying or have we got other things on our mind, projects to complete, a time to finish prayer, or more often than not for me are we too tired to pray?
One of the players was not behaving so I sent them home (they were all children so they waited outside the practice room for their parents to pick them up).
If part of your life is getting in the way of Jesus, then take that part away. Take the temptation to sin away from your routine.
When eventually we did get into the proper concert room to perform, the music was tiny so I could only see it by making it bigger on an electronic screen.
Do we spend too much time looking for answers from someone else or do we allow God to speak to us through actually reading the Bible, reflection and prayer, and using a paper bible at that, that can not give us instant meanings to verses. Let God speak.
35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
The time is certainly ripe to harvest so we are all called to go out and to do the work. We must make a stand for our faith, a faith built on biblical truth no matter how unpopular that will make us. I believe that if we just present the Bible as it is and let God speak through that medium then his word will be powerful and will do the wonders of converting people to Jesus.
Dear Lord, forgive me for being too tired with projects that I fail with any vigour. Forgive me when I fail to hear your words that resound from your Holy book. Allow me to understand and know your word so that I may bring people to you and you can save them and bring them salvation. Allow myself and many others to be led by the Holy Spirits power following the guidance of Jesus from your will.
Amen
365 Exhortations 