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Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest (John 4:35).
I’m lifting up my eyes, I’m seeing the fields.
But I don’t see a lot of said white. Lord, give me your eyes.
Because what I see…
I see Hindus bowing to golden idols created by skilled craftsman.
I see Muslims faithfully answering the call to prayer.
I see Buddhists running fast fingers along brown beads, lisping secret prayers.
I see broken people torn apart by the sins of their own hands, and, some by the hands of others.
I don’t see hope. I don’t see harvest.
Give me your eyes. Let me see it.
I’ve gone. I’m here. I’m ready to harvest. The reaping day seems afar off, but I trust it’s here as You have said it is.
I’m lifting my eyes. Lord, make them like yours.
I’m lifting my hands, Oh, God, put them to work. Let me harvest something, anything, for You and I’ll be sure to give you all the praise for letting me see the ripe fruit, gather it, and give it back to You.”
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And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together (John 4:36).
Rejoice with me!
Tell me about the harvest on the horizon or the harvest at hand in the comment section below!
Amen, Amber. Good work!
One thing – Buddhism isn’t a religion per se; it’s more of a way to approach one’s own faith. Gautama Buddha was a Hindu, as were virtually all of the early Buddhists. But when Buddhism spread to China and thence to Japan, it pulled in Taoists and the followers of Shinto…and, eventually, Christians (the Portuguese brought Christianity to Japan in the 1500s…and the faith was ironically centered in Nagasaki).
Buddha was not a god, and to worship him as one is completely wrong. He is an example of a man who achieved enlightenment, yes, but that is decidedly NOT either transcendence or transfiguration.
I speak from personal experience; though a Christian, I am also a Soto Zen Buddhist. There is no contradiction; Buddhism is merely the vehicle (and that is a traditional term) that carries me closer to Christ.
Indeed, the Dalai Lama was once asked by an American how one could be a good Buddhist…and he replied, “Just be the best Christian you can be.”
#2 at FMF this week.
http://blessed-are-the-pure-of-heart.blogspot.com/2016/08/your-dying-spouse-192-ki-to-lift-fmf.html
I understand and your perspective and appreciate your input. As someone who lives in a country with heavy Buddhist influence, my perspective is very different. I do not believe there is salvation apart from forgiveness of sins in Christ alone, and I am yet to meet a Buddhist that professes Christ. Well until now, anyway! God bless.
Interestingly, there were Christian Samurai in feudal Japan, and Christian Daimyo.
I suspect that you’ll find most ‘Christian Buddhists’ in the west, among those who have become disaffected with things like the prosperity gospel, and who realized that they needed to find a mind/body interaction, through meditation, that would bring them to the throne of the Almighty. I know that’s how it works for me; I tend to be an extreme Type A-Alpha, and Zen practice clears my ego out of the way, so to speak, so that I can hear the still, small voice.
Interesting for sure. I admit I don’t know the ins and outs of all the religions the people I minister to practice. I do know I am to be faithful to share the gospel and trust God to work in their hearts. Thanks for reading, Andrew.
And thank you for writing, Amber. You have a unique voice that illuminates God’s Grace, and shines a beacon of faith that I am sure has moved many hearts, and will bring many more to the Lord.
I am glad to have met you in this digital empyrean.
I feel the heaviness, too. May He grant us eyes to see as He does.
Heaviness is such a perfect word for bearing this burden. Thank God, we don’t do it alone. Thankful for your testimony for Him. Thanks for stopping by my little blog, Marie.
A haunting and beautiful prayer, Amber. I pray that you will receive that which you seek. Thanks for sharing your heart openly and the pain that comes with loving people so dearly.
Thank you for reading and sympathizing with my burden for the harvest. Trusting you are doing well on your side of the world. I enjoy connecting with you through FMF.
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