God is looking for labourers
In Matthew 9: 37 to 38, we read about the conversation that Jesus had with His disciples, He says to them “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” I then sought out to understand the meaning of the word “laborer”, and I got to the conclusion that a laborer is and unskilled servant, working with his own hands.
So when Jesus says “pray that the Lord may send laborers”, it shows us that God is not interested in skill, God is not interested in human wisdom,God is not interested in human ability, but God is interested in someone who will work with their own hands, someone who will work with dedication and commitment. I then asked myself how could God want laborers without skill, and I realised that God wants those who will depend on Him and on his Word in serving Him.
After our 21 days of prayer and fasting, I believe we are all ready to move forward, to move out of our comfort zone and move into the level that God has created for us. I believe that God has created us to serve Him, all of us. Whether you are a pastor, and evangelist or just a church worker, we are all created to serve God. Now we need to give ourselves to him in order to serve him whole heartedly.
Someone may ask how do I give myself to God, you give yourself to God when you no longer live for yourself alone but you start living for Him. Living to please Him. You live to please him when you are fully dependent on Him and when you obey His Word. You obey His Word when you carry out His instruction without arguing and complaining.
Many of you have been called to serve God, but because you don’t know the Word, you are not serving God. You think that in order to serve God you must have a certain kind of wisdom or a certain kind of background. You want to qualify yourself to work for God, but His Word says “He is looking for laborers, unskilled workers”, because He knows that He will qualify them.
When you give yourself to serving God, He will guide you and He will lead you. God has a plan for each and every one of us here today, His plan comes with His support and guidance. We know that His plan is not to harm us but to prosper us. We know that His plan for our lives is good, and we know that He is faithful to carry us through his plan.
The same promises that He made to the children of Israel, He is still making them to us today. The same way He fulfilled those promises, He will fulfil them to us even today. All He needs is someone to say “yes Lord, here I am…I’m ready to be your laborer, I’m ready to serve you”. That is why He says to Joshua “as I was with Moses, I will be with you”.( Joshua 1:5)
In Joshua 1:1 to 4, we read about how God called Joshua, to lead the children of Israel to the land that which He promised them. He promised to take them to Canaan, 40 years ago, but because of their disobedience and their complaining, and their murmuring, it took them longer than it was supposed to to see the promise, but God never changed His mind about the promises, He remained faithful and gave them the land that he promised them.
When the children of Israel were supposed to move forward and possess their promises and they went into their own direction, they complained and murmured against Moses. They became disobedient and lost faith in God, but God remained faithful and kept His promises. When God guided their ways, they went their own way, this is why the journey took 40 years. It’s like most of us, here are the promises of God for our lives, they are still active and available, but we have to align ourselves with the plan of God in order to claim God’s promises. If we go our own way, or follow our own plans, we are only delaying ourselves.
The reason why most of us are not living by the promises of God is because we want to use our own human efforts to manifest those promises. We want to rely on ourselves and use our own strength to fulfil the promises of God. What we need to be aware of, is that God will fulfil His promise, we don’t have to understand how He will fulfil His promises, all we need is to trust in Him. We need to know that He will make His plan come to pass.
We need to rely on His Word so that we can be prosperous and successful. That is why He said to Joshua “meditate on this Word day and night”. You need to take your position as a servant of God, and you need His Word in order for you to stand firm in your position. You do not need human ability, you do not need human skill, you just need the Word of God.
When God told Joshua to be strong and courageous, He knew that it would not be easy, He knew that Joshua would face challenges, but He says that in those challenges, “no one will be able to stand against you”. You are here today, God has given you a commission, stop doubting yourself and take a stand. Take a stand and be that laborer for God, He will not leave you, as He was with Moses, He will be with you, as He was with Joshua, He will be with you.
You are here and you are going through your financial desert, remember God’s promise, remember He will never leave you nor forsake you. Remember that He promised to take you to Caanan, the land flowing with milk and honey. You are here and your house is about to be auctioned, stand on the Word of God, and be strong and courageous. God’s plan for your life will not fail, it shall be fulfilled and you shall rise. You shall cross over the Jordan and you shall possesses the promised land. Only be strong and courageous.
And when you get to the promised land, remember to serve the Lord your god, who has been with you through the wilderness.
To God be the Glory.