Being Fruitful

Matthew 9:36 -37  Seeing the people, Jesus felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.

Where is our compassion today? We have all become so hardened to life. The video/computer games being played on computers and televisions plus the “real time” views of war and murders are so realistic that the site of blood and death just seem to be fascinations of excitement for our own pleasure.

Our agenda is often clouded, not only by the lack of compassion for others but also for a goal that we have selfishly set for ourselves. As a young boy, I was taught that “Men don’t cry”. If you were punished by the “hand of authority” (spanking), you were given a short period of time to cry. Then the famous words, “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about” would ring through the air.

Later in life, as hurts would come I learned to choke them inside and not shed a tear. As emotional pains developed, I became hardened to my own feelings. From 1974 to 1987, I never shed a tear for anything. It was just bottled up. JD Hughes, a Cincinnati radio DJ, became a friend of mine and assured me that Jesus had compassion for the hurting and that I needed to turn my life over to the one who had compassion for me.

For 17 years I had been in a position of Christian leadership, but had missed the passion of showing a real Jesus to others. With that conversation the flood gates of my heart opened wide, and thanks to this man, I refuse to ever close them again. It was then that I realized that real men do cry and are not afraid to show compassion for others. I learned that there is real freedom in just giving up our pent-up emotions. Later a pastor talked about “giving our lives away”. I had done that for years, but for all the wrong reasons. I worked hard to impress others with the talents the Lord had given. But I had held back.  In following new leadership at a new church, I have been inspired to share the love of the Father for everyone I meet as part of my Personal Growth Plan.

Now I realize that I was giving to others in order to get back something. The American Way, right? 

I discovered that loving people just for the sake of compassion gives new life to serving the Lord. In the original Greek language of the New Testament, the word “harvest” is actually interpreted as “karpos “, which means “fruit”. When we give our lives away to the Lord’s service, we experience the “sweet fruit” of leading someone who may be hurting to the freedom that the Lord offers.

At times we may experience the “sour grapes” of someone in leadership hurting our feelings, but we must realize that a worship service is not about “Us”! It’s about taking the walls down and having compassion on others with the desire to see them get a relationship with the creator of the universe. Only when you have an attitude adjustment can you enjoy being fruitful and helping others who are lost or hurting.

Give your life away to the Lord’s service. There are limitless opportunities.

Look around!

Enjoy being fruitful!