Unemployment Rate
Unemployment Rate
“But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”
Matthew 9:36-38
Daily we watch and listen to the news tell us how this or that administration has raised or lowered the unemployment rate. Constant talk of how many jobs have been created, or lost, depending on who’s in a political office at the time. Ever since Covid struck the world, there appears to be a shortage of workers for a vast sea of jobs. There will always be work to do.
Most of us have had to go to work, or are still working, at some type of employment as you’re reading this. Some of us love our jobs, some don’t and some have no opinion one way or another. Some people will think their job is more important than someone else’s and some feel unfulfilled to go to work. Somewhere along my life I heard someone say, “you’ll never work a day in your life, if you love what you’re doing”. And I’ve heard someone say, “a job is a place you go to work, work is something you work at”. The self-employed love the freedom they have, but have the struggles of depending on themselves to survive.
In any case, being unemployed is not financially prudent. Unless of course you’re retired or independently wealthy. When you want a job and can’t get a job, it sucks. When you’re able to work and no one will hire you, it feels hopeless.
And when working for yourself, not having work feels like a complete failure.
So what does any of this have to do with the verses above?
Jesus was speaking to the disciples about the harvest of lost souls. The lost souls are the people who have not come to know Him. He was telling them that there are so many lost souls out there, but not enough workers to tell them the Good News.
Think about it this way. As many souls that are out that have not heard about Jesus, you should have just enough people to tell them. A one to one ratio. Otherwise, we are already behind the curve. It will be difficult to catch up if we don’t plan to have enough workers to yield the harvest. New souls are born every day.
Herein lies the problem. We know the work that needs to be done. We know the solution. We read and pray about the results. However, we just don’t have enough people doing the work.
This is where you come in. Each one of us, born-again believers, Christian’s, the saved and the children of God have work to do.
We are the laborers for the harvest. Yet many of us call in sick, take vacations, collect unemployment or are simply content with just showing up to work to collect a paycheck. In this case, the paycheck is your salvation. Guaranteed. You don’t even have to do anything for it. But for the lost, they have to hear the Gospel Message. They have to understand the outcome. You’ve already made it that far. They haven’t.
There’s always a job where twenty percent of the people do eighty percent of the work. The other eighty percent are completely comfortable letting others work harder, so they don’t have to. And then there are the go-getters, the fast movers, the creme de crème - the golden ones.
So where are we with being the laborers for the harvest Jesus is talking about? Every day our lives are filled with jobs, chores, tasks, lists and excuses.
You’ll never know if someone has heard the Gospel Message unless you ask.
As Christian’s we are the laborers. It’s nobody else’s job. It’s our job. Our responsibility. The least we could do. We are the ones who should be going out to the field every single day and harvesting the crop.
The reason the unemployment rate is so high is because we can’t find people willing to do the work. The unemployment rate in this case is the number of lost souls.
You have your work cut out for you. Your job has been assigned by your faith in Christ.
It’s time to put in the work. No more excuses.
Pray this prayer - “Lord use me where I am, send me where you need me, put the people in my path and I will share Your Good News with them. I am not afraid to do the work, show me where to go and I will go. Amen”
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
Matthew 28:18-20
“And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Acts 1:7-8