Look at the Fields

In John 6, the multitudes were starving. Then Jesus miraculously provided bread and fish for thousands! But between the starving people and a satisfying Savior were disciples who served. We have the great privilege of being heralds of the good news about the Bread of Life. We can introduce people to Jesus!

But where are the starving people? 

We have all seen the posters of famished orphans from Africa or Asia. They look up at a camera with the blank stare of hollow eyes and the bulging bellies of malnutrition. Our hearts—and rightly so—go out to them with a sincere desire to show them the love of Christ by meeting their physical needs and introducing them to the One who can save their souls. 

The posters for our conference, however, do not feature starving children. They do not depict the pain of sin or the burden of addiction or the shame of abuse. They feature bright smiles on happy faces. Why? Because a photogenic moment does not capture the state of one’s soul. The cheerful hello of a neighbor, the grin of a grocery store teller, the hearty laugh of a family member: these may be a superficial disguise for an empty heart burdened by iniquity, weighed down by guilt and shame for past sins, or aching from wrongs they’ve endured from others. And they are heading—smiling but spiritually starving—to an eternity separated from God. 

Look around you. Look at the fields. Starving souls are everywhere—in the grocery aisle, at the traffic light, along your sidewalk, around the office, just a phone call away. Look at the fields! Every one of us has a different role to play in the harvest. But none of us is exempt from the responsibility to share Jesus with those who need to hear. Are you committed to God? Are you clean before Him? Do you have compassion for the multitudes around you—or the individuals nearby? 

Do you care enough to introduce them to the Bread of Life? 

Look at the fields!