I started riding my bicycle again as I had not ridden since we had that warm spell in way back in March. Part of my physical discipline is riding my bike, doing some weights and swimming. I would like to be able to bike 40 km, swim 1500 m and run 10 km by next summer. The running part is a long way away but the biking is coming as I did 37 km yesterday. The swimming will be interesting, as I would only have to do 182 laps in my 27’ pool (LOL). As I was riding through the countryside I am watching the harvest come off. I love watching the combines in the fields. The other day I wish I had a camera as I saw in one field one of the biggest combines I have seen and in the next field the smallest. Both were doing the same thing- taking off the harvest. When I got home from riding I was looking at this verse in Luke 10 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” Usually I would be focused on the harvest part but this time the word appoint really stood out. If you do a word search on appoint you will see some very interesting things. In the Old Testament God would appoint men to serve Him. Jeremiah gives us a good illustration of this. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” God was the one who appointed and gave authority. In the New Testament 1 Corinthians 12:28 “And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.” The bible also talks about an appointed time or season. Titus 1 “at his appointed season he brought his word to light through the preaching entrusted to me by the command of God our Saviour.” Since there is lots of harvesting to be done you would think that where there is harvesting taken place it would always be good but Jeremiah 14:14 says “Then the LORD said to me, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I have not sent them or appointed them or spoken to them. They are prophesying to you false visions, divinations, idolatries and the delusions of their own minds.” You have to ask yourself; what are people being born into when they sit under the teaching and preaching of a false prophet? These men were not appointed to harvest. Unfortunately many today do not know the difference between God appointed workers and those who have appointed themselves. When we are appointed by God to go out, he will give us authority and power. Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, 20 which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

When we are appointed by God to bring in His harvest we can have this power available to us and then we can say with the seventy-two “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” I keep hearing about the need for workers and training workers but this verse really states that we need to be praying for God to send us His appointed workers for this season.