Wednesday: Labor 3

"My Food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work."

"Let us labor for The Master from the dawn to setting sun." Good Morning, my dear brothers and sisters, and welcome to Salvation Wednesday on Carry The Light Ministries pray, praise and message line...

Please pray today for the souls of the unsaved, and for those you are not sure about, and for Jesus to use us (you and me) to help bring in the lost. Do you have the nerve to just walk up to someone and ask them "Are you born again?" "Do you know Jesus?" These are tough questions to ask people and it does take some nerve. Once I asked my pastor, Dr. Richard Denison, was he saved, did he have Jesus in his heart... I am glad I asked. First he was taken back, well, upset that I questioned him. Later he preached on it telling all I cared enough to be concerned. So even if you think someone is saved, ask them anyway, like I am going to ask you right now.... ARE YOU SAVED? Do you know Jesus, and there is a difference between knowing Him and KNOWING HIM if you get where I am coming from. I would love to see about 2 to 3 hundred emails in my box today that just said "YES".

Prayers today beside Salvation prayers for the Saylor family. Don is weak and his wife tired, Bob is improving but not ready to be released for work. Sharon tells me she hurts but doing better, and folks, if you saw the smile on their faces you would think there was nothing wrong. You see they all walk with Jesus one day at a time, and they trust Him to carry their load. Ongoing prayers for Vicki, Anna, Pastor Charles, Pat, Greta, Jo, Dolores, and for jobs for LeaAnne and Mark. Prayers for our daughter Danelle as she started a new job yesterday. Last night I did my first night at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and I am tired this morning. We took a walking tour of the Academy. Next week, we go in the simulators and get to train as the new cadets do in bringing down the "bad guys". I asked when we get to ride the Harleys and they sort of laughed at me...

One more prayer request... we have a very, very sick Yorkie this morning, and as soon as the vet opens I will be there. It is our beloved Millie Lillie, who we adopted about three years ago. Also pray that whatever she has does not spread to the others.

Labor 3: John 4: 32 - But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you know nothing about." 33 Then His disciples said to each other, "Could someone have brought Him food?" 34 "My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work. 35 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." (NIV)

Did you ever work at a place where you really hated what you did? Maybe it was the only job that was there, or the only one that paid good money, or for whatever reason you hated that job. Maybe it was a really neat job, one you loved, and then the company changed bosses and you get this new boss that changes the work rules, and the job you once loved is now a real chore just to get up and go to. I have been there and done that. I carried mail for a few years, and while being a Letter Carrier is a great and wonderful job and there are thousands of postal workers who love the job, I got to hate it. You see I started out as a truck driver on the extra board, did most all truck jobs, shoving mail into mail boxes and also running pickups in the evenings, and I really loved it. Then a new boss decided I should be a walking carrier for a while and I hated it. Then I got a part time job driving school buses and I loved it. The postal job paid good money, the school bus driving job paid next to nothing at the time. And one day I gave up the post office for the school bus. Why?

Folks, when you are going out working day after day and laboring hard, it is just not about money or at least it should not be. While you need to be able to buy food and put a roof over your head, working or laboring should be a Labor of Love. The ideal job would be that you love the job so much that you would be willing to work it for free, but you get paid.

Folks, in the scripture above Jesus points out that He was not working for food, but was working to finish the work God sent Him here to do. He also points out to His disciples, who by the way we now are, that there is a harvest to bring in. Folks, if a farmer has crops that are ready to harvest and he/she does not bring them in, what happens? Yes they will rot in the fields. Even if you have just a few tomato plants and you do not pick the fruit when it is ripe, it will rot.

Now listen to me here... The harvest is ripe, the workers are few, the harvest is ripe for picking and we are to be working the fields of harvest for our Lord. What happens to the harvest when it is not worked or picked? It rots... oh I did mention that but did you put it together as we talk about people, you know your neighbors, my neighbors, those across the street, across the town or across the world... If we do not get to the fields and work the crops, evil will... SATAN HAS CROP PICKERS, DON'T YOU KNOW? In fact you can watch them on the news daily. Now I will say this even if it makes some mad. Washington has a lot of those evil crop pickers even if some of them call themselves Christians. Yes, they put laws into effect that block Christians for trying to pray (notice I said trying) at schools, ball games and on government property all over the country. Folk,s you cannot really block anyone from praying if they really want to pray. You might block them from using a loud speaker or sound system, but if you truly want to pray someplace, go and do it... and by all means go into those fields and work the crops. It is far better to get to a person before Satan gets them than after. It is much harder to use fruit or veggies that are half rotten than when you get them just right for the picking. Yes, we can and should work on the rotten crops and the half rotten crops and not just let them lay. We need to work to salvage all for salvation, and not let it rot in the first place. I asked the question, ARE YOU SAVED? If you are, are you ready to walk into the fields of harvest and bring in the corps? Now when you hit that reply I would love to see it like this... YES-YES... one yes for being saved, and one for going to work for Jesus... A LABOR OF LOVE FOR SURE. And the pay, well let's just say it is Divine and Heavenly.

Dear Father in heaven, I am ready and willing to go to work for You, wash me clean and open doors and send me out. Send me to the lost and help me bring them in. Help me remember that I can save no one, but I am needed to bring the crop to Your feet. Help me live to please You and to set an example for others to see. I love You Lord. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen.

Go to work, get laboring for love, don't worry about the money, for if you work for God He will see you are taken care of. SHARE THOSE BLESSINGS. love ya, dan.