Too many are willing to sit at God’s table, but not work on his field” – Vance Havner

If you have kids, you know what a hassle it can be to get the morale up around the house when things need to be cleaned up. A full day of play can unleash havoc in the house! A typical request might be to clean up before dinner time. Have you ever had one of your children come and sit in their seat at the table before the work is done? 

These moments usually occur when a child wants the reward of dinner without the work necessary to get there. We have had our fair share of excuses, such as “I need help to clean.” “My hands are too tired.” “I didn’t make the mess.” Participation in the cleanup is not as enticing as it is to make the mess in the first place. For everyone to come and join the dinner table, the work in the house needs to be done. What can we learn from this?

Too many are willing to sit at God’s table…” Does that description hit home for you? Maybe for your congregation? You might see this mindset when the church wants to host events, but the members don’t want to participate or volunteer. Have you witnessed someone dismissing their gifts or abilities to keep them out of doing the work? Do you find that sometimes you tend to do the same?

As the chef for the family, I find it funny how quickly others assume dinner will be done. Whether making a one-pot meal or a homemade meal that requires a hands-on approach, it still takes time. With an eat-in kitchen or a breakfast bar, there’s a seat ready for the audience to view the chef. When kids start sitting at the table, they focus on what you’re doing instead of what they’re doing…and then the complaints roll in. Is dinner ready? How much longer? I’m hungry. What are we having? Why? Do we set ourselves up for a posture of complaining and receiving too quickly when we pull out that chair?

When my kids have cleaned up and done the required work, they come in and take a seat at the table in a different mindset. They’re ready to receive. They don’t question what’s for dinner. They know their needs will be met and don’t question the things on their plates. Do we find a place of rest and thankfulness after working in His field?

“…but not work on His field.”

It is a privilege to work in God’s fields. While we are working in the fields, it is not us doing work for Him, but also Him working in us! The fields are ripe for harvest, and there is no better time than the present to finish His work for us! In response to our God-given freedoms as His creation, we usher order back into the situation under the reign of Jesus.

God blessed humanity with freedom, and we live under His order, which is the best for us. We often look at that order and find fault, but that order reigns in the chaos. This chaos is like asking the kids to clean up the house before dinner. If you don’t keep things in order, stuff gets lost, and we don’t know where to look for things when we want to use them! In the same way, God blesses us with order in the chaos and joins us in restoration. He knows how best to facilitate daily living, and we, as His children, trust in His ways as He sees the whole picture. He knows our needs before we do.

How many times have I told my children that we are blessed to even have things to clean up! In the same way, we are blessed to serve Him in His creation, as His creation.


Rachel Haseley, Communications Coordinator


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