Planting Seeds

When I was hurt last year I developed a new hobby. I, all of the sudden, out of the blue, took an interest in growing things. I had a little garden in the yard where I could get out of the house and clear my mind... I called it my sanity garden. I had a few different tomato plants, some peppers, some herbs, some strawberries, etc. It was cool. But, I became borderline obsessed with it. This year I have way more stuff. I wake up in the mornings thinking about how I can grow things better, and how to fit more stuff into the tiny spaces I have. I've started doing some serious digging (no pun intended) about farming, and I won't lie, I'm really looking forward to becoming a self proclaimed expert at growing things. I wake up in the morning and one of the first things I do is look outside to see if things have grown. Most days I get home from the field around 11 or 12 at night and go straight out to check on my plants. A lot of these plants I grew from a seed, and my wife seriously thinks that I love them like children. I think she might be right. Anyway, that long rambling story reminds me of the parable of the seed sower in matthew 13. See, when I planted those seeds, I made sure I had the correct soil. The parable says some seeds fall on rocky soil and wont grow. I made sure that didn't happen. I made sure the correct amount of water got to those seeds as they were growing. I continually make sure there are no weeds choking out my plants as those thorns did to some of the sowers seeds. I did all these things in order for the conditions to be just right. But, after all that, if God doesn't breath life into those seeds they will not grow... no matter what environment I have prepared. On the flip side, if I don't plant the seed at all it certainly won't grow. And, if I don't do it with care,... well you get the point. Here's where I'm going with this... you have a friend... probably been a friend for a while. You talk about everything with this person EXCEPT God. You love this person, but you're scared that if you talk about Jesus it'll change things. So you brush it aside. Think about this. God has prepared your life for you. He says in Job 38 "where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth. Y'all, He is in control. The people in your life are not there by accident. Maybe that friend of yours is ready and waiting for the Holy Spirit to take over their life. Maybe it's not. Maybe your friendship is the foundation of great things to come for the Kingdom. Then again, maybe not. In the parable it says not all seeds will grow. Not everyone you share with will have ears to hear what you are saying. That's okay... some will. You won't know if you don't plant the seed. Share Jesus with whoever it is... and let the Holy Spirit take it from there. He has the power to turn water into wine and the hardest of hearts into pillars of the faith (ask Paul). 

-waino Galatians 5:1 It's for freedom we've been set free.