Day 15: The Harvesters
There is a powerful cartoon that was a depiction of one of Aesop’s fables that came out almost 91 years ago in 1934. It told the story of two very different mentalities in a couple species of bugs. One species was a colony of ants, and the other was a grasshopper. The animation starts in the summer with the ants working double time in harvesting food while the grasshopper enjoys the spoils of summer and hops around playing his fiddle. In one of the scenes the grasshopper was even distracting the ants from their work until the queen stepped in. Quickly the summer turned to fall, and the fall turned to winter and the ants went underground and the grasshopper was left to his bounty, or lack thereof.
The grasshopper was quickly walking around hungry. He tries to grab a brown leaf to eat but it blows away in the winter winds. You see the grasshopper walking in the snow, tightening his belt, and blue from the cold he falls at the ant’s door. Now, in real life we know those ants would have added him to their food supply, but this is a kid’s program and it’s teaching us a valuable lesson! The ants brought him inside, warmed him up, and fed him. They saved his life. The queen came with the fiddle in hand and expecting to be thrown out the grasshopper’s shoulders slumped, but the queen demanded he play. (Probably wanted to hear ‘Devil went down to Georgia’) The moral of the cartoon couldn’t be any clearer; harvest when it's time so you don’t starve when it’s not.
There are several Proverbs that deal with this in the Bible. In fact, I am certain Aesop ripped his fable right from Proverbs 6.
Proverbs 6: 6 Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
8 she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.
We should take heed to this lesson in every aspect of our lives. There are few better things to develop within ourselves than a great work ethic.
This lesson is not just for our physical workmanship, however. It is also a very timely reminder that we are to be laboring in the spiritual harvest fields as well. Jesus tells His disciples this in Matthew 9
Matthew 9: 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
The same truth remains today. There are so many people who are ready to hear the Gospel from someone they love and trust, but the laborers are few! Did you know we could be an answer to the prayer Jesus tells the disciples to pray? We can and should be the laborers the Lord sends!
Sadly, I think our extremely blessed lifestyles may contribute to a little bit of the grasshopper attitudes in our lives. We don’t see the winter on the horizon, so we play and feast with our friends and our families without thinking of their spiritual future. Along these lines, there is a sobering verse in Isaiah 55 that sticks out to me in a sea of powerful scriptures.
Isaiah 55: 6 “Seek the Lord while he may be found;
call upon him while he is near;”
This is a reminder that we are living in an age of grace where the goodness of God has blessed us with a warm bountiful summer of blessings. However, there will be a day where only those who have believed in the Lord will experience the presence of God. Folks, we need to tell as many people about Jesus as we can so they can seek Him while he can be found.
Those little ants didn’t have to rescue that grasshopper, he had even made fun of their tireless efforts in the summer. Yet, when they saw his plight, they were moved with compassion and brought him to safety. That is a great lesson for you and me. Jude gives us that same charge in His letter.
Jude 1: 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. 22 And have mercy on those who doubt; 23 save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
Today, let's pray for a couple of things. First, that God will give us the opportunity to share the love of Christ with someone who needs it. Second, let us pray the prayer of the disciples for the Lord to send more laborers for the harvest!