The ground is cold, desolate and hard. Rain is scarce, worms and other creatures that prepare the soil for seed are in hibernation. The days are short, shaded and brisk. And yet the fields are white and ready for the harvest.
God has been tilling, planting, fertilizing the souls of his people for a bountiful harvest. The seed, the Word of God, has been sown. The fertilizer, prayer, has been nourishing tender , youthful plants. And the gardener, The Holy Spirit, has been pruning in preparation for the fruit to be gathered in.
In the mist of the fierce battle for your soul, many of you have been faithfully working God’s plan. I can tell that many of you are in the Word like never before in your lives. I can tell some of your are praying with more daily fervor. I can tell that you have taken seriously the call to be in a small group. And I can tell that you are beginning to understand that the only way you keep what God has provided, Amazing Grace, is to give it away.
I am excited about what God is doing among us. I sense a Holy Spirit momentum as you are growing up and bringing people with you to worship, small groups, even to serve side by side with you. The best way to win this battle for the soul is a daily submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. So be diligent and continue to practice your spiritual disciplines. Draw close to the Lord and depend on Him in all that you do.
Leigh Ann Roy, Claudia Humphreys, Melissa Hagler and myself will be departing this Sunday evening to continue the good work you have started in Ethiopia. We will pray for you and I ask you do the same for us. Together, equally yoked in Christ….we can help God change the world, in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.
I am eager to be with you in Worship this weekend for many reasons; most of all to taste and see first hand the harvest of fruit God is gleaming from your lives.
I love you Church!
Rick
P.S. I will blog daily while in Ethiopia and post as internet service allows.
