Will You Make Time To Harvest? Series

Will You Make Time to Harvest?"

Today, we’re going to explore a question that speaks to the heart of our faith: Will you make time to harvest? Just like the seasons in nature—there is a time for planting and a time for reaping. In the same way, spiritually, God has called us to be workers in His harvest field. But here's the thing: the harvest requires our attention, our effort, and our time. If we’re not intentional about it, we might miss what God has prepared for us to gather.

Let’s start with the words of Jesus in Matthew 9:37-38 (NLT):

"He said to his disciples, 'The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.'”

This passage lays the foundation for our message today. Jesus points out two things: first, the harvest is plentiful—there are people ready to hear the gospel, lives ready to be changed. But the second point is sobering: the workers are few. The harvest is there, but there aren't enough people willing to gather it. Today, I want us to think about whether we are willing to be part of the workers who make time to harvest.

Point 1: Recognising the Urgency of the Harvest The first truth we need to grasp is the urgency of the harvest. Jesus tells us in John 4:35 (NLT):

"You know the saying, 'Four months between planting and harvest.' But I say, wake up and look around. The fields are already ripe for harvest."

In this moment, Jesus is challenging His disciples—and us—to stop waiting. Sometimes, we delay the work of God, thinking there will be a better time or opportunity. But Jesus is saying, “Now is the time!” The fields are already ripe. The people in our lives—the ones we pass by every day—are ready for a spiritual harvest. We might not see it, but God is working behind the scenes in their hearts.

In Greek, the word for "ripe" here is ?e??a? (leukai), which can mean "white" or "ready." This was a common term used in agriculture to indicate that a field of grain was ready to be harvested immediately. Spiritually, Jesus is saying that there are people ready right now for the gospel. Their hearts have been prepared, and they are waiting for someone to bring the message of hope to them.

Are we awake to the harvest around us? Are we tuned in to what God is doing in the lives of those around us? It’s easy to be caught up in our own lives, our own concerns, but God is calling us to see the bigger picture—His mission to bring in the lost.

Picture a farmer who waits too long to harvest his crops. He keeps delaying, thinking he has more time. Eventually, the crops wither and are lost. In the same way, if we don't act when God calls, we risk missing out on souls that are ready to receive Jesus. Let’s not miss the opportunities God has placed before us.

Point 2: Making Time to Be a Worker in the Field The second truth is that the harvest won’t gather itself. We have to make time to be workers in God’s field. Ecclesiastes 11:6 (NLT) instructs us:

"Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both."

This verse is a call to perseverance. We plant seeds of faith when we share the gospel, when we serve others, when we do good in the name of Jesus. But it doesn't stop there. We also need to be diligent in tending those seeds—praying for people, nurturing relationships, and continuing to serve, even when we don’t see immediate results.

The Hebrew phrase used here for "keep busy" is ??? (nach), which conveys the idea of persistent, diligent effort. It’s not about working ourselves to exhaustion but about steady, faithful dedication. God is calling us to be persistent workers in His Kingdom. Whether we see fruit immediately or not, we trust that God is working in the background.

Are you making time for the things of God? It’s so easy to fill our lives with activities, commitments, and distractions, but are we intentionally setting aside time to be part of God's mission? It’s not just about adding more to our schedules but about prioritising what really matters—people’s eternity.

Think of a garden. A gardener doesn’t just plant seeds and walk away, hoping for a harvest. He returns day after day to water, to weed, to care for those seeds. In the same way, we are called not just to plant seeds of faith but to continue nurturing them through prayer, discipleship, and encouragement.