Where are the laborers?

I watched a 60 minutes episode last night that really struck a chord in my heart.  The story was about the unemployment rate in our country right now and how the unemployment has affected children.  So many children are homeless right now.  Parents are unable to provide a home or many other basics that so many of us take for granted every day.  My heart broke for not only the children who have no choice in the circumstance they must live in, but for the parents as well.  What must it be like to be charged with protecting and providing for the children God has given to you and not be able to do so?  How must it feel to not be able to provide the very basics: food, shelter, safety; to your children? 

Why did this strike such a chord in me?  

God has been stirring in my heart the desire to.......help.  The only word I have to describe what is stirring in me is help.  I want to reach out and help others who are needy.  I don't mean just financially...I mean in every aspect of their lives.  I have been giving this serious thought today.  Where would I find the needy, lost, poor in my community?  I do not know.  I don't know of any of the local churches in my area that have community outreaches which are more than drug rehab programs, clothes closets, Thanksgiving or Christmas dinners, "Fall Festivals", or food pantries.  Who in my community is out there spreading the love of Jesus Christ every day?  Who is out in the poorest areas of the city helping the broken, the hurt and the lost repair their lives, rebuild their foundations, and find the Savior who died for them to live?

I have a vision God gave me years ago and He has rekindled this vision in me over the last few months.  I have not shared this vision in much detail with many people.  God had only placed a small picture in my heart.  More of the vision is being revealed and I can see now why I have had to wait as long as I have to be able to bring together the pieces I have been seeing.  I will be working hard to do what He asks me to do and to make preparations for the vision to come to fulfillment.  I hope and pray that others in my own community, and others in their own communities, will answer when God calls them. 

There is a time for everything and in God's time everything will come to fruition.  I want to always be ready when God calls me.  There have been many, many times where I have not answered when called.  There have been many, many times that I have stepped out on my own without waiting on God and His annointing to move me forward.  And during those times, I was not successful.  Why?  Because the time had not yet arrived.  I do believe it is nearer now than in the past, but I must remain vigilant to continue to learn and grow.  We all must guard our hearts, keep our eyes focused on the prize, and walk on the narrow path.  We must remember we are the light and the salt of the earth.  We must be the example in the Earth of the love of Jesus Christ with the same compassion, grace, mercy and love He showed during His time on Earth. 

So...what do we do?

We wait on the Lord.  We must be ready to act when our name is called.  We must continually seek the things the Lord would have us do in His name and we should always be looking for who He wants us to reach out to and bless. 

Always be prepared to work out the vision God puts in your heart, because He will ask you to share that vision.  He will ask that you step out in faith, believing that He is in control. 

Are you ready to make the difference in your community?