Many of us grew up before the microwave oven was ever invented and can remember when even a meal of reheated leftovers was a time consuming process requiring pots, pans and ovens.
We relied on “snail mail” and crossed our fingers, hoping that the checks we sent to cover our bills traveled fast enough to reach the accounts receivable offices before the deadlines – but slowly enough not to arrive before our paychecks cleared! If we wanted to speak to someone, we waited until we got home to our cord-bound telephones, or if the situation were urgent, we sought out an unoccupied payphone nearby and scrounged for the quarter to make the call – or the dime, if you are a bit older.
But today, we live in a “Now Generation”. We want and can have “instant” everything. To be fair, wanting something “this instant” isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Those of us who are parents know the infuriating feeling of telling a child to clean up the mess or to go to bed, only to notice some time later that he is still where he was when you told him, eyes fixed on the screen, thumbs rapidly flying across the game controller, or doing he was doing when you told him to stop. And then we growl through gritted teeth, “Now!”
I wonder if God ever looks at us, preoccupied with our own interests, and wants to stomp His foot and snarl, “I said, NOW!”
In the Gospels, when Jesus called His disciples, He said, “Follow Me.” He didn’t add, “When you get a chance” or “If you can work it into your schedule.” It’s so interesting to note in Scripture that those He called, “immediately” left what they were doing and went with Jesus (Matthew 4:19 – 22).
There was just something about Christ that compelled an immediate and unquestioning response, and we see this over and over throughout the Gospels. Again, He never said, “When you finish what you are doing” or “if it isn’t too much trouble.” He even addressed the issue of delayed obedience in Luke 9:59 – 62 where some people responded to His calling by asking permission to first bury a parent or to say goodbye to their families. His response?
That’s unfortunate.
He told those who turned back to tend to less important matters they were not “fit for the kingdom of God.”
So with this in mind, let us consider the most urgent task which our Lord has called us to do. In three of the four gospels, Jesus stresses that workers are needed for the “harvest.” (Matthew 9:37, 38; Luke 10:2; John 4:35)
Do you know what happens when a ripe crop is left in the field rather than harvested?
The produce rots on the vine or shrivels in the sun. It becomes unfit for consumption and is a complete loss.
The Lord has called us to serve in His fields, gathering in souls for the Kingdom before they are forever lost. We can no longer delay. The cost is too great. The need is urgent, and the time is now.
