Planting the Seed

Jesus said that the harvest is truly great, but the laborers are few. Recently, I have been convicted about my lack of soul winning. Frankly, I had a sort of “let them go to hell” attitude. I foolishly began to feel that if people really wanted to be saved, they would seek Him out and maybe I could be there to enable them in their decision for Christ.

Imagine, a stalk of corn knocking on my door and asking me if I would come to the field and harvest it and its friends. No, I would have to go to the field on my own, toting the proper tools and get busy.

On Sunday, I challenged our people to plant a seed in the hearts of the people they came into contact with by the time they pillowed their heads on Monday evening. One of our men called me, thrilled that he had had a great opportunity to do so.
When I made this challenge, I was the one who I was aiming at more than anybody else, after all, Jesus called me to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature, just as He had any other believer.

While on duty as the chaplain for the police and fire departments, God allowed me to have plenty of opportunities to plant the seed with four little words, “Jesus is your answer.” In an especially poignant exchange, I encountered a poor mother with her hands full. Her two adolescent boys and their problems were all she could handle. She was at the end of her rope. It was my joy to present to her Jesus as her answer. It was thrilling to see her accept this fact. I had told her that what I was about to offer may seem awfully simplistic, she responded by saying that usually the answer is something simple. She was actually excited that her boys could get plugged back into church for some support.

I am thankful that God enables us to do the work that He has called us to do. He opens the doors for us if we will look for the cracks. I encourage you today to stop, look and listen for openings to tell those you encounter that Jesus is the answer to every need or problem they have.