Looking Around

“Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’?

 I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!

They are ripe for harvest.”

John 4:35

 

As I read through some of the books of the Old Testament I am reminded of what so many preachers have said over the years concerning the perspective the Old Testament people had compared to ours.

It went something like this – They looked forward to a Messiah; we look back to the Messiah.

Both require faith.

While I cannot and would not argue with the sentiment we also can see that those who lived in Old Testament times also looked back to the promises God spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And those of us living in the on-going ‘Book of Acts’ church look back to the wonderful work of the cross but we also look forward to the glorious hope of Christ’s return when Jesus is.

no longer a suffering savior but a Messiah who rules and reigns.

So, what’s my point?

Whether looking back or forward let us not forget to also look around.

Jesus spoke of lifting up of eyes to see the harvest.

You see, in looking around, we neither diminish the past work nor eliminate the future hope.

Instead, we recognize that we are now joined to Christ and there is work to be done in the ‘here-and-now’!

As we do the work of the Kingdom the historic work of the cross is made real to us and to others.

So too is the glorious hope of the future

So today I encourage you to look back and remember, look forward and hope but also look around and ask – Lord, what will you have me to do today to advance your Kingdom?

I promise you that that question asked in sincerity will be answered assuredly by Him.