Matthew 9:35-38
35 Jesus was going
through all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and
proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and
every kind of sickness. 36 Seeing
the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and
dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to
His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore
beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
Selfishness is a weed that grows naturally in our
hearts. It is so easy for our lives to
become centered on our own agendas, our own problems and our own desires. God wants us to live in a different way. Jesus set the example for us be living for
others instead of Himself. We can see
that His ministry was marked by serving others, loving others and praying for
others. This is certainly an example
worth following. Sometimes we have a
hard time deciding what our priorities should be. There are always so many things that seem to
demand attention. Being busy with so
many things can easily become a distraction from doing the most important
things. Jesus showed us what those
important things are.
SERVE OTHERS BY TEACHING: The ministry of Jesus was marked
by serving others. He served them by
teaching and healing. He had the knowledge
of God’s Word that He tirelessly proclaimed as he traveled from village to
village. He had the ability to heal
others and He served the people by curing their diseases. Most of us like to be home. We like the comfort of our own home, the
quiet of our home and the ability to just relax when we are at home. Jesus traveled from place to place in all the
cities and villages. He was constantly
surrounded by people and He dedicated His life to serving them. They needed to know the truth of God’s Word
and they needed healing. Ignorance of
God’s Word and illness are two of Satan’s greatest allies. He does not want people to learn about God
and he desires to destroy the image of God that is reflected in the lives of
men. God wants us to be willing to go to
these uncomfortable places all over the world and serve the people we find
there by providing for their physical needs in the best way possible and
provide for their spiritual needs by proclaiming the Gospel and teaching God’s
Word.
SEE OTHERS WITH COMPASSION: The ministry of Jesus was marked
by loving others. We all have the
ability to ignore the reality that is right before our eyes. Jesus did not do that; He looked at the
people, thought about the people and had compassion on them. He could see that they were like sheep
without a shepherd and this broke His heart.
Wherever Jesus went there were always multitudes that were following
Him. He was not desensitized by the mass
of humanity surrounding Him. He saw
them, loved them and cared very deeply for them. The cities of the world are teaming with
people that are desperately in need of help.
Their lives are busy, their minds are racing but their hearts are empty
and broken. They lack hope and meaning
in their lives. They lack direction and
they long to find truth. This reality
should break our hearts. We cannot
ignore the crowds of needy people that fill the nations of the world. We are called to see them, love them and take
the Gospel to them.
SEND OTHERS THROUGH PRAYER: The ministry of Jesus was marked
by praying for others. When we look at
all of the massive needs around the world or even just in our own neighborhood,
it can become overwhelming. We can only
be one place at a time and do one thing at a time. However, we can impact all the nations of the
world through prayer. We cannot go to
all the place of the world but we can pray for God to send His people to all
the nations of the world. There are
billions of people on this planet, many of which have never once heard the
Gospel. There are very few missionaries
that are dedicated to reaching those people.
We need to pray for God to raise up more missionaries who are willing to
go to the farthest corners of the world to serve people and proclaim the truth
of God’s Word. Prayer is likely the most
neglected spiritual discipline in the western church today. When we do pray it is usually more about our
own wants and desires as opposed to being about the advance of the Gospel to
the nations of the world. Prayer is the
most effective and efficient means we have of participating in the mission of
God in the world.
APPLICATION: Be willing to leave the comfort of our homes to
go to our neighbors and the nations to serve them by teaching the Word,
preaching the Gospel and meeting the basic needs of the people God places in
our paths. Notice and love the people
that surround us. Don’t be desensitized
by the masses or distracted by our own issues; have compassion on others. Pray for God to raise up missionaries for all
the nations.
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