HARVEST

"Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together" (John 4:36).

 

There are three promises that are listed here--promises for us when we join Jesus in His work of harvesting. #1--WAGES: Jesus pays His employees and you can expect that you will be well-compensated for your work.  #2--FRUIT:  There is not much in this world that you can take with you to heaven but Jesus promises that the people we bring to Jesus will live forever with us in Heaven.  #3--CELEBRATION:  There is ecstatic joy in the in the Kingdom when even one comes to faith (See Luke 15:10).

 

There is no doubt that today each of us will come in contact with someone that Jesus is drawing to Himself.  Join Him in the harvest!

HARVEST

"Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest" (John 4:35).

 

We have seen in these days at Grace River that God is drawing many new people our way.  There is no shortage of broken and hurting people and God seems to be guiding many to Grace River.  Our mission is to be a safe place where anyone can come as they are and find hope and healing.  Jesus' mission is to reach broken people and then heal them.  Our mission is to join Jesus in His mission.

 

Today, let's be aware that there are broken people all around us.  Look for them, find them, and bring them on Sunday to Grace River.

HUNGRY

"Jesus said to them, 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work'" (John 4:34).

 

In Matthew 4:4, Jesus responds to the Satan's temptation to turn stones into bread, by declaring, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God".  Clearly, our hunger is to be satisfied by knowing and doing the will of God.  We often spend our days chasing after what we believe will bring true purpose and meaning into our desperate lives.  The result is often a life filled with hurts, habits, and hangups.  Jesus points in a different direction.  He insists that we feed on God's words, that we do them, and that we find meaning in accomplishing the work of God.

 

Today, spend some time reading the Word of God.  Think about what it says.  Listen for God's wishes.  Then join Jesus in accomplishing His work.

HUNGRY

"Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, 'Rabbi, eat.'  But He said to them, 'I have food to eat that you do not know about.'" (John 4:31-32).

 

It might surprise you to find out that Jesus has ways to satisfy your hunger that you have never imagined.  He has food that you don't know about.  We hunger for a great many things in this life: security, fulfillment, health, wealth, fame, love, and the list goes on.  In the same that we my settle--or even prefer--a burger and fries, we also settle for what's cheap, what's convenient, and what's quick when comes to meeting our insatiable hunger for purpose in life.  We cruise through the drive-through for a super-sized order of hurts, habits, and hangups, ignorant that a delicious chef's signature dish has been personally prepared for us.

 

Today, let me invite you to make a dinner date with Jesus.  He has a feast awaiting you--and He hates to eat alone.

WORSHIP

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.  God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

 

Jesus says that we are to worship the Father in spirit and truth.  We understand the truth--it is a right understanding of all that God is and all that God wills as revealed through Jesus Christ.  Jesus said, "I am the truth" (John 14:6).  Spirit is a bit more shadowy.  It has to do with your soul, your whole being, your passion.  If truth deals with facts, then spirit deals with feelings.  We are to worship with our mind AND with our emotions, with our liturgy AND with our love, with our head AND with our heart.

 

Today, the Father is seeking your worship.  As often as you eat and drink, remember Him...

WORSHIP

"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22)

 

What is the source of your salvation?  And by salvation, I mean "deliverance" or "rescue".  What, or who, do you look to in order to have your needs met?  Go ahead and think of something . . . job, family, relationship, finances, etc.  Here is why it matters: The source of your salvation happens also to be the focus of your worship!  We naturally give honor and priority to whatever it is that we believe is providing for our security and our happiness.  Another way to gauge the object of worship is to consider the source of potential despair?  What would devastate you if you were to lose it?  Anything or anyone that can cause despair in our hearts is an object of worship.  Jesus says, that we worship what we do not know.  In other words we ignorantly worship unreliable gods.  In reality, salvation is from the Jews.  It is gift-wrapped in a Jewish body.  Salvation is Jesus!

 

Today, let's consciously choose to worship Jesus.  Let's move our allegiance from the fragile to the firm--from the unreliable to the undeniable!

WORSHIP

"'Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.'  Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountian nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father'" (John 4:20-21).

 

It's consistent throughout history for men to dedicate "places" to worship God.  There is nothing wrong with that as long as we remember that God is too big to fit in our building and that "our place" isn't any better than "their place".  Acts 7:48 declares, "The Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands."  1 Corinthians 7:19  reveals the kind of house that God lives in, "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God?"  God does not live in man-made houses.  He lives in God-made houses--human houses.  That means, as Jesus said, you don't have to go to a mountain to worship--you can worship God wherever you are--because where you are is where He is!

 

Take a moment right now and close your eyes.  Block out every thought except for thoughts of God's love for you.  Feel his love for you.  Allow Him to completely fill you with His love. Just rest in the warmth of His love.  Spend some time this morning surrounded by God's love.  You just might find yourself worshipping...