Wednesday July 11, 2012

You Never Know

We sow the seed, God produces the harvest.

Read Mark 4:26-32

During my seminary years, I directed a summer camp for boys and girls at the YMCA.  Each morning, I began the day with a brief story in which I tried to incorporate an element of the gospel.

 

To help illustrate that becoming a Christian means to become a new creation in Christ.  I told a story about a moose that wanted to be a horse.  The moose had seen a herd of wild horses, thought them elegant creatures and wanted to be like them.  So he taught himself to act like a horse.  However, he was never accepted as a horse because he was . . . well, a moose. How can a moose become a horse?  Only by being born a horse, of course.  And then I would explain how we can all be born again by believing in Jesus.

 

One summer I had a staff counsellor named Henry who was very hostile to the faith.  I could do nothing but love him and pray for him, but he left at the end of the summer hardened in unbelief.  That was more that 50 years ago.  A few years ago I received a letter from Henry.  The first sentence said: “I write to tell that I have been born again and, at last, I am a ’horse’.”  This confirmed to me that we need to keep praying  and planting the seed of the word (Mark 4:26) so that it may bear fruit one day.

 

You think your word or deed is very small,

That what you say will hardly count at all;

But God can take the seed that you have sown

And nourish it until it’s fully grown.  Hess

Prayer:

¥ Ask the Lord to provide each member of your congregation with opportunities to sow the seed of the gospel. Pray that each person would be courageous enough to speak up and plant that seed. Pray for growth in your congregation.

¥ Ask the Lord to give you opportunity to sow seeds of Christian love and forgiveness among your contacts. Pray for 5 people by name that you want to see saved.