a wonder: workers!
"The harvest is rich but the workers are few; therefore ask the Harvest-Master to send workers to His harvest." —Luke 10:2
Job was one of the Lord's most faithful workers. The Lord permitted Satan to take away almost all of Job's riches, kill his ten children, and give Job a life-threatening, painful disease (Jb 1:12ff). Even if the Lord later gave Job twice as much as he had lost (Jb 42:10), no wonder the Lord's workers are few! (Lk 10:2)
The Lord sends out His workers "as lambs in the midst of wolves" (Lk 10:3). He tells them to take nothing with them and to live from moment to moment trusting Him for everything (Lk 10:4). No wonder the Lord's workers are few!
The crucified Lord promised us that we, His disciples and co-workers (1 Cor 3:9), would be persecuted as He was persecuted (Jn 15:20; 2 Tm 3:12; Mt 5:11). Under these conditions, no wonder few are willing to work!
Now Jesus asks each of us to work for Him. He will reward us with the eternal happiness of heaven (see 2 Tm 4:8), but He doesn't put that much emphasis on it. He mostly talks about the cross. This ensures that each of us decides to work for Jesus out of love for Him. A wonder: workers for His harvest!
Prayer: Father, may love impel me to work for You (see 2 Cor 5:14).
Promise: "I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord." —Ps 27:13-14
Praise: St. Francis' approach to war was to pray zealously for the conversion of the enemy, ignore the threats on his life, and proclaim the gospel personally to the enemy leader.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Job Performance for Jesus, order, view, or download our leaflet or order, listen to, or download our CD 43-3 or DVD 43 on our website.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 3, 2018
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