Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Matthew 9:35-36 (NKJV)
In Part I of this devotional we first looked at how Jesus had looked out on the multitudes of people, and how He was moved with compassion for them. He saw how weary they were.
As we continue to look at these verses, we see that Jesus viewed the multitudes of people as Scattered like Sheep having no shepherd.
Boy isnt this true of our world today? There are so many sheep running around saying that they dont need a shepherd, and yet, in doing so, theyre either following each other off the cliff, or just hanging out with the enemy which is the same as hanging out with the big bad wolf that took over grandmas house and waited for Little Red Riding Hood!
My grandma, what big shinny teeth you have&
But not all sheep are walking around trying to avoid the shepherd. In fact, there are many who want to know about the Gospel, but they dont know who to ask, or whom they should follow. And we see in the next verse, Jesus goes on to speak about this.
Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV)
Here we see Jesus is referring to how many people that are out walking about, ready to receive the Lord, but there arent many people who are willing to go and share the gospel, and lead them to Him. So Jesus is telling us to pray that people will respond to the need for workers. Another thing we should know is that often when we pray, God will use us to answer our own prayers. So we need to be ready for Him to use us to lead another person to Jesus.
Q:How can we do this?
We can start by sharing our personal testimony of what Jesus has done for us. And we can also be prepared to share the Gospel message with others as well. Dont assume that they know these things. We need to share that God is the one who will forgive them of their sin because of what Jesus did when He died on the cross of Calvary, and rose from the grave three days later.
Jesus is God, and He is the Good Shepherd. And a Good Shepherd watches over His flock. What a safe place to be in a very unsafe and unstable world.
Hey Christian, I know who my shepherd is, and He knows me to.
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. John 10:14 (NKJV)
And knowing Him makes me want to share him with everyone!
I like the way the Apostle Paul shares his compassion for those who are lost and dont know Christ yet. He says, With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursedcut off from Christ! If that would save them(See Rom 1-3).
Hey Christian, weve been given something very special. Lets not take our relationship with God for granted. Lets acknowledge what God has done, and what He is doing in our lives today. Lets ask God to give us a Heart of Compassion. And lets share it with everyone.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we determine about having a healthy relationship with God from John 10:14?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Do you know God? Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you made Him your personal Lord and Savior? Are you willing to be used in the gathering of the Harvest?
APPLICATION: Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, He didnt say that it will be plentiful. We can go to work right now and begin to ask people if they would like to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Dont let potential embarrassment stop you from offering eternal life to someone.
In Part I of this devotional we first looked at how Jesus had looked out on the multitudes of people, and how He was moved with compassion for them. He saw how weary they were.
As we continue to look at these verses, we see that Jesus viewed the multitudes of people as Scattered like Sheep having no shepherd.
Boy isnt this true of our world today? There are so many sheep running around saying that they dont need a shepherd, and yet, in doing so, theyre either following each other off the cliff, or just hanging out with the enemy which is the same as hanging out with the big bad wolf that took over grandmas house and waited for Little Red Riding Hood!
My grandma, what big shinny teeth you have&
But not all sheep are walking around trying to avoid the shepherd. In fact, there are many who want to know about the Gospel, but they dont know who to ask, or whom they should follow. And we see in the next verse, Jesus goes on to speak about this.
Then He said to His disciples, The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Matthew 9:37-38 (NKJV)
Here we see Jesus is referring to how many people that are out walking about, ready to receive the Lord, but there arent many people who are willing to go and share the gospel, and lead them to Him. So Jesus is telling us to pray that people will respond to the need for workers. Another thing we should know is that often when we pray, God will use us to answer our own prayers. So we need to be ready for Him to use us to lead another person to Jesus.
Q:How can we do this?
We can start by sharing our personal testimony of what Jesus has done for us. And we can also be prepared to share the Gospel message with others as well. Dont assume that they know these things. We need to share that God is the one who will forgive them of their sin because of what Jesus did when He died on the cross of Calvary, and rose from the grave three days later.
Jesus is God, and He is the Good Shepherd. And a Good Shepherd watches over His flock. What a safe place to be in a very unsafe and unstable world.
Hey Christian, I know who my shepherd is, and He knows me to.
I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. John 10:14 (NKJV)
And knowing Him makes me want to share him with everyone!
I like the way the Apostle Paul shares his compassion for those who are lost and dont know Christ yet. He says, With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursedcut off from Christ! If that would save them(See Rom 1-3).
Hey Christian, weve been given something very special. Lets not take our relationship with God for granted. Lets acknowledge what God has done, and what He is doing in our lives today. Lets ask God to give us a Heart of Compassion. And lets share it with everyone.
STUDY QUESTION: What can we determine about having a healthy relationship with God from John 10:14?
PERSONAL INVENTORY: Do you know God? Do you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? Have you made Him your personal Lord and Savior? Are you willing to be used in the gathering of the Harvest?
APPLICATION: Jesus said the harvest is plentiful, He didnt say that it will be plentiful. We can go to work right now and begin to ask people if they would like to know Jesus as Lord and Savior. Dont let potential embarrassment stop you from offering eternal life to someone.
No comments:
Post a Comment