Ripe Opportunities

  

We have just entered the traditional harvest season. This is that labor-intensive time when the farmer gathers the mature crops from the fields. Fruit, not ripe, could be easily be detected by its green color, suggesting it is not ready to be picked.

Jesus had this picture in mind when he illustrated to his disciples the point of missed opportunities:

John 4:35-36

35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together.

Eternity demands an urgency that pays attention to “the now”. There is nothing wrong with a future plan, as long as it doesn’t distract you from divine appointments today. This was my wake up call when I found myself tempted to hold off my best attention to some things until we as a church were in a more permanent home. I dream about transitioning out of our school situation all the time. I understand the impact it has on our effectiveness and pocketbook after 10 years.

But God has something for you and me, today, in the here and now. And that requires opened eyes that look at the field of opportunities on Sunday, even in a challenging and difficult mobile environment. Each guest and each individual who walks through our doors is choosing to be there, when they could be elsewhere doing other things. Every person is showing a spiritual interest and is saying, “Lead me closer to God today.” And that’s where our focus ought to be.

Let’s not the green opportunities we wish and hope for distract us from the ripe opportunities right in front of us. We are working hard to transition us out of our mobile condition. I can t wait and I will continue to remain excited. But each Sunday opportunity has its own priceless value until then.

So thanks for coming, volunteering, loving, worshipping, learning, praying, and giving like there was no tomorrow. It’s the “ripe” thing to do.