Yes, it is September. That time of year those in the South look forward to. It is a promise of cooler days, crisp nights, colored leaves, football, and kids back in school. It brings a feeling of exuberance as we look forward to the days ahead. It is one of my favorite times of the year. It is a time to get busy and enjoy our days rather than looking at the weather report and dreading going outside in the sweltering summer heat. So, how do we apply this September feeling to our spiritual lives?
As Christians, we are to look at September as being late in the year. Time is running out for us to make an impact for Christ this year. Souls are plentiful for the harvest, but the harvest is no good unless we gather it in time and take care of it.
In Luke chapter 9 Jesus calls His 12 disciples out and gives them orders to preach the gospel, to have power over demons, and to heal people. He instructs them on where and how to go. Historians tell us it was about a year later that Jesus sent out 70 of His followers into all the cities around where Jesus would be going. They were preparing the way for Him.
Luke 9:1-2 “Then he called his twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”
In Luke chapter 10 Jesus is preparing the seventy to go and tell. He sends them out in pairs. This allowed them to have someone to help share the truths of Jesus. It also allowed each of them to have someone to encourage them, someone to look out for them, and someone to share and communicate with them.
Luke 10:1 “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.”
Now comes the verse that is so convicting to me. In verse 2 Jesus says the harvest is great but the laborers are few. So often we get so caught up in our world that we forget about our primary purpose for being here. When we accepted Christ as our Savior, He did not take us on to Heaven. He left us here to tell others. I know we have other responsibilities, but none is greater than telling someone about Jesus. When we witness to others we are offering them an opportunity for eternal life in Heaven with Jesus. A life that is perfect, a life that is unlike anything we can find here. As the verse says, the laborers are few! That gives us even more reason to win others to Him. We may be the only person that can reach them. We may be their last hope of eternal life in Heaven. Without Jesus, their eternal life will be spent in Hell with the devil and his angels.
Luke 10:2 “Therefore said he unto them, the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth laborers into his harvest.”
September is upon us, and we need to make the most of it while we can. It is a time of renewed strength as we focus on the goodness of God. It is a time to feel a sense of urgency as we get closer to the coming of our Lord Jesus. It is a time to refocus our priorities to be in line with God’s priorities. In II Peter 3:9-10, we see Peter explaining that while God is patient His judgment is still on its way. His delay is out of a heart of love for the lost. He is delaying His coming for more to repent and turn to Him. While He has given everyone opportunities to repent, we need to allow verse 10 to sink deeply into our souls. He will come as a thief in the night, unexpectedly while many are slumbering in their love for life instead of their love for Jesus. The harvest that has not been reached will be doomed forever in the horrible place called Hell. They will never escape, burn up, or have one ounce of relief from the torments of Hell.
II Peter 3:9-10 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.”
So, as you walk outside and feel the crisp air giving you a new exuberance for life. Stop and examine what you will do in this late month of the year. How will you make an impact this September for the harvest that is ripe? What souls can you think of now that you know will not be gathered into Jesus if He were to come today? God has placed people all around us. People that He loves just as much as He loves you and me, but they are lost, and with no one to tell them they will be forever lost. If they are in your path, it is your responsibility to tell them about Jesus.
