Shepherd Daily Devotional – It’s up to you!

Written By Ben Dankaka

Meditation – Matthew 9:38

Oftentimes, our failure to help others isn’t caused by a lack of concern. Generally, we often feel pity for the needy. We are all born with the ability to show empathy to our fellow humans. Although we naturally feel pity for those who are troubled, most times, we do not realize that it is our responsibility to help them. Normally, when we notice those who are in need as we go about our business, we sympathize with them and then move on, hoping their problems will somehow go away. Because we are preoccupied with our problems, we think we are unqualified to help others. So we ignore or abandon those who are troubled, hoping that someone else would help them out. What we fail to realize is that every helper needs help because there’s no one on earth who doesn’t have problems.

On the day that Jesus looked at the crowd and noticed they were “harassed” and “helpless”, the scripture likened the crowd to a flock of “sheep without a shepherd.” Jesus linked the condition of the crowd to the absence of individuals who would not only be sympathetic but would take the initiative and help the people through effective leadership. So He advised His disciples to “ask the Lord of the harvest, to send out workers into his harvest field.” In other words, Jesus urged his disciples to pray to God so He could send out leaders. Therefore, it is largely our responsibility to help those who are troubled. That is, the task of working in the harvest field isn’t God’s job. It’s our responsibility. As long as we do not ask God to use us as workers, we would always have helpless and harassed people around us. Today, ask God to make you a worker of the harvest.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, send workers to the harvest field. Amen.

REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Matthew 9:35-37

Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.