A Labor Shortage

All of the recent talk of curbing illegal immigration and deportation of illegal immigrants has led to a labor shortage on many produce farms.  Even legal immigrant workers are reluctant to take jobs in certain states for fear of harassment by local law enforcement.  Last year, many produce farmers lost hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of produce that rotted in the field, simply because they couldn't get enough laborers to gather their crops.  This year, some farmers have scaled back on their acreage due to fears of another labor shortage.  Whatever your thoughts on immigration and guest worker programs, the fact is that Hispanics are willing workers in fields that many other members of our society are unwilling to labor in.  A man that is willing to work should be allowed to find a legal means to take a job.

As pressing as this problem is, there is a much more significant issue - a shortage of help in the harvest for souls.  But, you say, there's a church on every corner!  There are preachers all over the radio and TV!  True, but look at all the souls that you encounter every day that do not attend church, or listen to radio and TV preachers. We have the infrastructure in place, but we need more workers.  How many people will die without God today because they have not had an encounter with the true gospel of Jesus Christ?  Just like the rotten produce, there are countless souls being lost due to a lack of manpower.

As Jesus said in Matthew 9:37-38, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest."  The key word here is laborers.  We don't need people that only sit in the shade and wait on payday, we already have plenty of those.  No, what we need are laborers, individuals that are willing to work in the harvest.  Real workers, who will toil and sweat and get dirty and exert all the ability that they possess for however long it takes, are a rare commodity indeed.

In John 4:35-36, Jesus says, "Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal."  Let us lift up our eyes from our own selfish enterprises, and look out at the fields.  Do you realize that there are over 7,000,000,000 people in the world?  Of these, less than 1/3 are self-proclaimed Christians.  Somewhere around 5 billion souls are out there that do not proclaim the name of Christ!  Bring it on down to your country, your city, your community.  I'm sure you will agree that truly, the fields are white unto harvest.

I'd like to leave you with the lyrics to the old song by Lanny Wolfe, My House is Full, But My Field Is Empty.


There is peace and contentment in the Father's house today,
Lots of food on His table, and no one is turned away.
There is singing and laughter as the hours pass by,
But a hush calms the singing as the Father sadly cries,

"My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for me today?
It seems my children all want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work in my field,
No one wants to work in my field."

Push away from the table.  Look out through the windowpane.
Just beyond the house of plenty lies a field of golden grain.
And it's ripe unto harvest; but the reapers, where are they?
In the house!  Oh, can't the children hear the Father sadly say,

"My house is full, but my field is empty,
Who will go and work for me today?
It seems my children all want to stay around my table,
But no one wants to work in my field,
No one wants to work in my field."