Now we are believers. We have come to Christ. We love him and walk with him. But if the harvest, the great harvest and the need of lost souls is not always uppermost in our minds, if we are not taking opportunities collectively as a fellowship together and as individuals, to pray for and to strengthen and to participate in the work of reaching out to a lost world, we miss the major source of satisfaction and fulfilment in the Christian life. It was so even for the Lord, even for him who was God as well as man. His earthly meat and drink, so to speak, was this harvest of souls.
Many are parents, and have the great responsibility and privilege of bringing up children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. That is a high calling and a noble calling, but still we have to work out priorities. You are a child of God concerned not only for your family and your children, but for all souls. This is our highest delight and occupation, the believer’s reward. You can never be entirely happy as a believer in Christ, you can never be entirely fulfilled if you leave this out. Even with the Saviour – this is very striking and very telling for us – his meat and drink was to carry out the will of his Father. So be careful of priorities on earth and time. You cannot be fully absorbed with business or career. Or if you are young, you cannot be fully absorbed with friends and temporal things that are important to you. You are a child of God. You have a priority, the Lord, and souls and witness, and this in turn will be your greatest reward.