WF Pride
Willingness and Desire to Sacrifice and Serve
Chad Cottingham
The alarm sounds and the farmer swings his legs out of bed and onto the floor. He rubs his weary eyes and rolls out of bed, sore and tired from the previous day’s work. The 3 hours of sleep he just got was not sufficient, but yet somehow enough. It’s very early in the morning, maybe midnight or 1am and the start of another day of harvesting potatoes awaits him. This is the time of day when some people are just going to bed, but the potato farmer is just beginning a new day. One that will start under the twinkle of the stars in the cool, dark, morning air. Depending on the weather, it could be a 16-20 hour day, or even longer if needed.
I heard it said that to be a farmer you’ve got to be a little crazy – but in a good way. It takes a rare breed to work as long and hard as a farmer does, and I doubt you’ll find a comparable comparison anywhere. These rare individuals have a willingness and desire to sacrifice and serve like no one I’ve ever seen. Farmers take great pride in what they do and in a job well done. Where else can you see the fruits of your labor so evident than in the planting, growing and harvesting of a crop.
As a farmer harvests his crops, so too is Christ coming back to harvest his crops. He is coming for those people that believe and have chosen to follow Him. When he comes, will you be a part of His harvest? Will you be taken to the storage bins of heaven? Or will you be discarded with the weeds? The choice is yours.
Matthew 13:38-40 – The field is the world, and the good seed represents the people of the Kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the evil one. The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels. Just as the weeds are sorted out and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the world.
“Dear Lord, thank you for all the farmers across the world. Keep them healthy and safe as they sacrifice and serve to produce foods of many kinds. But more importantly, thank you for your willingness to sacrifice your one and only son, Jesus. Thank you for your promise to return and ‘harvest’ us into heaven with you for eternity. I pray for those who have yet to choose you as their personal savior, that they will do so without delay. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.”