Around mid- to late September, in our great regions on the plains of America, the great big green Combine Harvesters slowly chug down about 2/3's of two-lane roads heading for the corn or bean fields to cut the dried-out grain stalks, ready for the massive storage bins all over the Midwest.
It is an annual ritual that evokes the sights and sounds of tailgates, Friday Night Lights, apples and pumpkins everywhere....including the ubiquitous Pumpkin Spice...er...everything!
The Harvest is here. There are pieces of cornstalks all over the sidewalk. My brother and friend, and retired Pastor Milton, in his 70s, still drives the grain trucks from the fields to the bins, a job he remembers doing as a youth at his dad's trucking firm down in southern Illinois. These days, being 70 years old is the new 50! I learned that from one of the most unforgettable men I met in 2025 - Bob Tiede, of Leading With Questions, who has worked for CRU (formerly Campus Crusade For Christ) for 54 years. Bob is now 76, and as we discussed my approaching the 70 milestone in 2026, we discussed the Power of asking Questions.
It set me to thinking, all through the Gospels, we find the Lord Jesus asking questions of mere men like you and me. Did He ask questions because He did not know the answer? No! He asked them for these people and our benefit, almost 2000 years later. We find out that Jesus asked a total of about 125 questions, and there could have been more.
The Apostle John said in John 20:30-31 that "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name".
One powerful question which Jesus asked in John 4:31 is " Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" In this context, He was attempting to fire up the disciples and us, to sow the seeds of the Gospel. The world is lost, and so many are departing this life, without the guarantee of eternal security, because, particularly in the Western world, the workers in the Harvest are few.
So let us, in this Harvest Season of 2025, step out of our comfort zone, suit up and get in the game. May we begin by sharing our story with those who will listen, or even those who do not know, yet they will listen. Then we can use our testimony as a gateway to ask if we can pray for someone, take them out for coffee, or share a book that inspired you (before recommending the Bible). If you have a bible on your desk at work, bring it up in ordinary conversation and keep planting those seeds....and do it with joy, enthusiasm, and compassion in your heart. People will read that before they care to know anything else from you.
May we be like this verse from Galatians 6:9, which says, "let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart". Amen
PRAYER: Lord, in the Name of Jesus, I pray, while it is still today, that You in Your infinite, mercy we thank You that You have called us to serve in an intentional way, as Your hands and feet of the Gospel, to take the Good News to the End of the World....starting with those in our streets, stores, work places, families, friends, churches and communities. Grant us boldness, courage and the correct approach and words to say, when that opportunity arises, so we can bring glory to Your Mighty and Precious Name, Jesus, amen.
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