PORTLAND CENTRAL CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Prayer
    • Discipleship >
      • Groups
    • Engagement
    • Service
  • Church Online
  • Give
  • Messages
    • Recent Messages
    • Weekly Devotions Blog
  • About Us
    • Locations
    • Vision, Mission, Values & Beliefs
    • Meet The Team
    • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Ministries
    • Children's Ministry
    • Youth Ministry
    • Agape Village
    • Reach PDX
    • Spanish Ministry

Quick Read Devotionals

The Harvest

3/7/2021

0 Comments

 
The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. These were his instructions to them: “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.
Luke 10:1-2
 
I grew up in West Virginia – out in the country – farms were all over the place. Towards the end of the summer and into the fall we would drive by acres and acres of corn and through apple orchards.  When the harvest was ripe it was a beautiful site – fruit on the trees and corn on the stalk. Harvest season meant food, fresh fruit and vegetables, and income for the farmers. There were festivals and parties around this time of year! So, when I read Luke 10 I find it interesting that Jesus would choose to use harvest to describe the cities he was sending the disciples to.

When you think about what was happening in the world at this time it didn’t seem very bright. Israel was under Roman rule – they weren’t free. There were great divisions among the people. The Jews wanted nothing to do with the Samaritans. The Pharisees wanted nothing to do with anyone that didn’t look like them or live like them, all those sinners needed to stay away. The very people Jesus was talking to had decided to leave jobs and family to come follow Him. If we lived in that time we would probably describe it as hopeless or at the very least broken and chaotic. But, Jesus saw a great harvest and was looking for people to go work in the fields. 

Jesus looked into the cities of Israel and didn’t see the bad, instead He saw the opportunity. He saw acres and acres of corn and apple orchards full of apples! He saw fruit! What He was looking at wasn’t hopeless or broken. It was beautiful and ready to yield a great crop. So, He sent His disciples out into the field to gather it in and find more people to help them.

Knowing that is how Jesus viewed what was right in front of Him 2,000 years ago gives me great confidence in how He looks at us today. When God looks into our world and into our lives He doesn’t see a lost cause, He sees a harvest – a great harvest. He sees opportunity, He sees life. Don’t ever look at the world around you as dead and gone. Don’t ever look at your life and view it as a lost cause. Those are lies. Jesus looks at us and says now there is a great harvest and with a little work can yield some amazing fruit. The harvest is great!

​Pastor Matt
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Authors

    Pastor Matt Huff leads Portland Central Nazarene Church. He loves being in ministry and seeing lives transformed by the power of Christ.  

    Stacy Watkins is the Director of Discipleship Ministries and also works in our transitional housing community, Agape Village, helping people get off the streets.  

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020

    Categories

    All
    Blessed
    Character
    Daniel
    Discernment
    Easter
    Faith Building
    God Is King
    Gospel Story
    Grit
    Holy Spirit
    Hope
    Jesus
    Jonah
    Joshua
    Joy
    Mercy
    Nehemiah
    Outreach
    Peace
    Praise
    Prayer
    Relationships
    Romans
    Sermon On The Mount
    Thankful
    The Cross
    The Jesus Strategy
    Trust
    VBS 2021

    RSS Feed

9715 SE Powell Blvd.
Portland, OR 97266
Directions
Phone: 503-760-6272

Service Time: Sunday, 10:00 am
  • Home
  • Programs
    • Prayer
    • Discipleship >
      • Groups
    • Engagement
    • Service
  • Church Online
  • Give
  • Messages
    • Recent Messages
    • Weekly Devotions Blog
  • About Us
    • Locations
    • Vision, Mission, Values & Beliefs
    • Meet The Team
    • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Ministries
    • Children's Ministry
    • Youth Ministry
    • Agape Village
    • Reach PDX
    • Spanish Ministry