Encouragement For EducatorsSýnishorn

Bold Believers and Willing Workers

Thank you for being willing workers for the harvest! Lest you think I have forgotten that you are teachers and not preachers, I would like to state for the record that you are missionaries. God has sent you into the “fields” of education where your influence is powerful and your opportunities are plentiful. Your workplace is your mission field—God gives you opportunities every day to “make disciples,” you just have to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.

Whether Jesus was on a city street, sitting on a hillside, or in a synagogue, He prayed, cared, and shared the message of God. People brought their friends to Him, people ran after Him, and some people, like the local tax collector, were surprised yet responsive to being approached by Him. In one instance Jesus is on His way to revive a leader’s dead daughter when the faith of a woman reaching out for His robe to receive a blessing stops Him in His tracks. Jesus was never short on time; He was never too busy to care, never too important to be compassionate and to act where there was a need.

You can follow in His footsteps by doing the same throughout your day. Some people will be brought to you because of your reputation to pray and care, some people will seek you out on their own, and others will be grateful you approached them. A simple, “how are you doing?” can open an entire conversation that will teach you how to pray for them and how to care for them. Your life—your attitude, affection, availability, and affirmation—will show them what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Prayer: Lord, my school is filled with the “distressed and dispirited,” the NIV calls them “helpless and harassed.” You call them the harvest, the ones you died for and the reason you sent me to teach at this school. I am not here by chance; this is my mission field. Teach me to follow in your footsteps, I am a willing worker.

Get a daily dose of encouragement and appreciation every day of the year with the devotional book, An Apple a Day: 365 devotions for the Heart of a Teacher. Learn more and download a preview at appleadaybook.com.