Yesterday we noted how the heart of Jesus was touched with compassion for those whom He saw as “sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus went on to urge His disciples. . .
“(37) Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; (38) therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”” (Matthew 9:37-38 ESV)
It seems so often there are more needs to be met than people (or funding) to step out and adequately provide. Besides my focus on preaching the Gospel and sharing the Scriptures with others, I served with many other volunteers for thirteen years in feeding and sheltering homeless individuals during the winter months. As volunteers, we found ourselves sometimes providing — to the best of our ability — what we felt paid agencies should have been providing. However, we continued to step forward because of the needs we saw. In my leadership role with that work, I was not only blessed in getting to know our guests more intimately, but also to meet the many other volunteers from our community (up to 500 during some of that period) who stepped forward to bring success to the work. I also appreciated the agencies who were involved in this collaborative work who were then able to help move some of our guests out of homelessness. And there are still many doing the best they can to meet those needs.
There are those who by their own choices place themselves in a position of need, but also those who in hard times simply find themselves falling through the cracks of what services are available. Certainly, spiritual needs are more important than the physical since they relate to our manner of living now and the eternal destiny of each individual soul. Nevertheless, physical needs are important as well. Jesus even included such in His model prayer in the phrase, “Give us this day our daily bread”. (Matthew 6:11)
There are people paid to do what they do who do bring a sensitive heart to their work. However, when it comes to volunteering, it is most often the heart that keeps those people engaged in what they are doing. There are people around us in need of proper guidance both physically and spiritually. People are still in need of proper support. And they ought to also be the subject of our prayers with regard to either what we ourselves can do or whatever way in which God will meet their needs even when it is through others. Therefore, let us pray, but let us also be willing to step out to be a part of meeting the needs. As we have opportunity to do good (Galatians 6:10) — whether with regard to the physical or spiritual — let us retain the heart of a humble servant, walking in the steps of our Savior.
Have a great day GIVEN TO PRAYER AND SERVICE!
Carl
