Ever had the experience of planting some seeds in the garden or flowerbed and inadvertently dropping one? Perhaps you were not even aware of it… or you were aware, looked around a bit to see if you could find it, and you couldn’t … it was just to small. Later, to your surprise, there it was – a sprig of green coming up where and when you least expected it!
Sometimes sharing your testimony, living out the Christian life, and sowing the seed of the Gospel is like that. You do it regularly, sowing your testimony, living as a witness, planting the see of the gospel every time you get an opportunity… here, then there, to this person, and then that… all the while hoping, praying, expecting a harvest for the seed sown. And then to your complete surprise someone you didn’t expect responds to the gospel, and the seed you’ve sown bears fruit!
I had an experience like that one day… As a young man in high school, running a bit late for work one day, I had to stop and put gasoline in my car. I was in a bit of a hurry… And on my way into the service station to pay for my gasoline I saw a high school classmate – a young man who lived quite a sinful life and gotten into a lot of trouble. I greeted him warmly as I entered the service station and simply said, “Good morning, Larry! How are you doing today?” (Didn’t have time for much more, but I wanted to be friendly.) I went on into the service station, paid for my gas and left… And that was it (so I thought) …
Fast forward several years… I am standing in line, registering for classes in Bible college. Suddenly I hear a voice behind me saying, “Well hello, Bartel, how are you?” It was Larry!!! I turned, shocked, and said, “What are you doing here?” And he told me this story… He said, “Do you remember a day in Ronan, Montana, when you saw me at Moody’s Service Station? You greeted me as you went in to pay for your gas. As you left, I said to myself, I don’t know what Bartel has, but one day I’m going to have it too! As I result of that, I eventually became a Christian, and I’m here in Bible school, preparing for Christian service!”
True story – actually happened!! And here’s what I read in the Bible this morning… “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. But when the grain is ripe, at once he put in the sickle because the harvest has come.” (Mark 4:26-29 ESV)
You know what? I’m going to keep on sowing… going to keep on sharing my faith… going to keep on witnessing… going to keep on living out my life as a Christ follower… I believe it’s going to bear fruit somewhere, somehow!
Ever sin and fail the Lord – doing something that He forbids or that you know displeases Him? Once? Maybe twice? Perhaps three times? More?
