Seeds by Robin Densmore Fuson

 

Do you plant seeds? Do you water? Do you encourage growth?

Last year I received a beautiful purple variety of tulip. She had these cool pods tucked inside her gorgeous purple flower. I wish I had taken a picture of her beauty.

I grew tulips in Colorado and they did quite well. Alas, I put this lovely plant into the ground—in the wrong place. The poor plant couldn’t tolerate the full force of the Florida sun.

She wilted.

I transplanted her to the shady side of the house. She didn’t like that place, so I dug her up and planted her in a pot on my lanai. I hoped she would come back and thrive. I lovingly took care of her. She hung on for about a month but began the throes of death.

Each time a flower fell, I took the pods with seeds and pushed them into the dirt. I planted seeds. I figured they would decay and fertilize the other plants or surprise me with life.

The other day, I was rewarded with signs of life from those pods. Green spikes are pushing out of the soil. I may have plants! Woohoo!

Jesus Christ, before he ascended to heaven, told his disciples to go into the world and preach the gospel. In other words, plant seeds of the Good News.

We spread the news that God loves us so much that He gave His only son, Jesus, to die for our sins. If we trust Jesus as our Savior, the payment for our sin, we enter into a relationship with Him. We then belong to the Father and will live with the Lord in heaven someday.

That’s the seed.

That’s our job.

Sometimes we get to water that seed. We encourage them into taking the step of faith—believing that Jesus is the way the truth and the life. We may be privileged to pray with someone to accept Jesus into his or her life.

Another honor is to disciple them, teaching them to understand the scriptures and grow in their knowledge and faith.

Plant.

Water.

Fertilize.

Fellowship and encouragement.

As a believer in Jesus Christ, that is our job description.

The apostle Paul wrote, I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. (I Corinthians 3:6 nlt)