Gather the Scattered
The dog days of summer were upon us, and temperatures were at record highs. I was looking for something cool to do with my kids, when a dear friend offered the use of their pool while they were at work. I invited my sister and her kids to join us. We set out for a day of fun in the sun!
The weather was steamy, and we were so thankful for the refreshing oasis. The pool was a round, above-ground type. Our wonderful hosts had many water toys and rafts for us to enjoy. One raft in particular was like an oversized beanbag for the water, which of course, each of the kids wanted to use. My sister and I soaked up the rays and enjoyed a poolside conversation as the kids all played together. We revisited all our favorite water games, Marco Polo, volleyball, water races, Chicken, and then we all decided to play an old favorite; “make a whirlpool!”
I’m sure you’ve tried it before; everyone walks or swims in the same direction until a current is formed. You then can lift your feet and be carried in the current’s care. My nephew climbed atop that fluffy pool raft to enjoy the whirlpool’s current.
Next, we heard an “uh-oh!”
The raft split open and began to sink! We watched what seemed like a million styrofoam pieces exit from that raft into our friend’s pool. The size of these styrofoam pieces resembled marshmallows you would find in your favorite sugar cereal! In fact, that round pool filled with styrofoam floating in the circular current looked like a large mug of hot chocolate full of mini marshmallows! The pieces were sticking to everything; to the other rafts, the side of the pool and to us! So, one by one, we would exit the pool and wipe them off onto the deck! We used buckets, nets, and strainers to rescue these scattered morsels before they clogged up the filter! It took us about an hour to skim the water and “swabbing the deck” from this disaster!
We were exhausted from laughing and cleaning up, so we sat out to dry off before heading home. I jumped on Amazon to locate a replacement raft for the one that just perished, made the purchase, and went home for a nap!
Gathering
Jesus told His disciples in John 9:37 that “the harvest is plenty, but the laborers are few.” Jesus was traveling and healing everyone He met as His heart overflowed with compassion. He implored His disciples to fix their eyes on the great harvest and pray for more workers that would be needed to get the job done. Can you imagine with me if while in the pool that day, my family, and I completely ignored the pieces floating all around us? It can be compared to the spiritual Harvest that encircle us each day. The harvest is there, it just requires work. My kids, sister, niece and nephew had to all work TOGETHER to accomplish a unified goal. It is the same in the spirit realm.
The lost are scattered among us and need gathered unto Jesus so that they can learn of His great love for them, or they will be swept into the current of culture all too swiftly.
It took a while to gather the small pieces and save the pool. We didn’t leave one morsel behind. Jesus shares a parable in Matthey 18:10-14 that a good shepherd would leave 99 sheep to find the one, little, lost lamb. Are our hearts filled with the same burden to seek out every corner and crevice to help gather the lost to Christ? His compassion for the lost is great because He sees them as sheep without a shepherd (John 9:36).
Fishing
Consider in John 21 when Peter had been fishing with the other disciples all through the night. In the morning, Jesus stands on the shore and instructs them to put their net on the right side of the boat, offering a fresh approach. Even in their fatigue and frustration, the men obeyed and tried it Jesus’ way. When there was immediate success, Peter scrambled to quickly gather those fish! Much like my family was scrambling to gather those styrofoam pieces before they clogged the filter and posed a problem to our host’s pool! Furthermore, Peter enjoys a bountiful breakfast on the shore masterfully made by His Savior, and as they sit with full bellies, Jesus asks Peter of his love for Him. The result of the conversation is a directive for Peter to “feed His sheep” (John 21:15-17). Consider this:
Is the salvation of others dependent on our obedience?
What if Peter didn’t obey the Lord’s instructions? Would he have benefitted from the physical and spiritual blessing? Let's be honest, we often cancel the divine appointments we pray for, without even thinking about it. The Holy Spirit may nudge us to open up a conversation with the cashier, or pray with our waitress, or knock on the neighbor’s door to say hello, but we often find that our “To-Do-Lists,” our busy schedules or our stressed-out state-of-mind push us to be more inward focused then outward. Scripture never documents Jesus ever pushing anyone away or saying that He was too tired or too busy. What about those that you are praying for their salvation? Are you asking the Lord for creative ways to share your faith? If you’re frustrated that those you are praying for aren’t coming to Christ in salvation, remember this:
Jesus wants them to be saved more than you do!
He is the one Who died for them for crying out loud! His heart’s cry is to see them accept His great love! The harvest is real and amazingly large. So, let’s keep working with Him to gather the sheep, the fish, the styrofoam, the scattered. Let’s bring them home to Jesus!
