THE HEDGE: Laboring for the Lord
BT Staff
by Stuart Estes
And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2 ESV).
What a struggle it has been to motivate myself to do this! It’s not difficult — Jesus told us exactly what to pray for and how to say it. It would take you all of 10 seconds, maximum, to pray this word-for-word. Despite the struggle, I have improved my practice, especially over the past year. Now I understand why the Lord said to do this: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7).
As I have been asking, He has been doing. This semester, I have a group of eight students whom He has sent out into His harvest here at the University of Arkansas. I have been working closely with these eight, meeting with them every week in a group we have dubbed “The Laborers Meeting.” Here are a few things I am learning from those meetings about how to help new and/or growing laborers.
• They labor for Him, not for me. When you lead others in a ministry capacity, a subtle form of pride can crop up. Namely, you may think that supervision or mentorship conveys command and control. However, I’m learning that laborers for the kingdom do not thrive in an environment of human command and control. Only when a laborer is guided and supported by the Lord of the harvest can he or she begin to be useful in the harvest. “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand” (Rom. 14:4).
• They need permission to labor. While command and control is not my place, I think those new to laboring in the harvest need someone to give them permission to begin. They should hear from a brother or sister in Christ that they do not have to wait around to start laboring. They don’t need to complete a checklist, carry a “laborers’ card” in their pocket, or have every answer to every question. They must have a vital connection with Christ and His Holy Spirit within them to be ready to labor. “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt. 10:20).
• They need to see laboring modeled consistently. Once it clicks for a believer that the Lord of the harvest has extended an invitation to labor, they desperately need someone to model laboring for them. This is what Jesus did for His disciples. Early on, He invited them to become fishers of men (Luke 5:10), and then He spent the rest of His time with them, modeling how to labor. He masterfully took every step (or misstep!) they made as an opportunity to teach and reinforce what He had modeled. Therefore, an increasing priority for me is always to be a laborer to help others understand how to labor. “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
I invite you to pray the prayer that the Lord commanded: “Send laborers into Your harvest.” I also encourage you to consider how you can support the laborers He may send to work alongside you.
That’s what I see when I look back on the last month at The Hedge. As we close out the year, please pray forstrength for students to finish the semester strong, rest during our upcoming breaks and for more laborers in the harvest.
Another Hedge Friendsgiving is in the books!
At our Tuesday night meeting before Thanksgiving break, we celebrated Friendsgiving at The Hedge. Some students even invited their families to join us. After eating, we participated in an exercise where we were given three index cards. One card was used to write something we were thankful for about the person on our left, one for the person on our right, and the last one could be a wildcard for anyone in the room. Then, we went around the room and shared what we had written. It was wonderful to hear how grateful we were for one another!