Planting seeds...

 

I have been known as the ‘plant lady’ over the years because of my love for plants and I tend to collect them like some people collect cats.  No offence to the cat collecting lovers here, but you understand my point.  I have a well-loved shirt that says, “I thought eco-friendly meant talking to my plants!?”  Everyone around me at the time I wore that shirt knew it represented me with my hands in the dirt often and plants surrounding my home.  I have constantly felt comfort having plants around me because they signify life as well as bring oxygen into my home.  I receive joy watching a plant grow and mature over the years.  However, I am not as patient planting seeds to create the plants I have.  A well-known fact that I sometimes ignore is that each plant starts with a seed being planted into the ground.  I love having the work completed for me and picking up the finished plant at the store.  

Planting seeds is such a deep subject.  Sorry for the pun but hang with me for a moment.  Whenever we plant seeds into fertile ground, they can bring joy through beautiful plants, and sometimes food to nourish our bodies.  Spiritually planting seeds for Christ can bring a harvest to the Kingdom of God.  However, planting seeds do not always mean there will be a harvest.  As the parable of the Sower stated in Luke, some seeds do not germinate due to the environment around or in them. We just need to plant them in faith.

Planting seeds is also not a guarantee that we are the ones who see the harvest.  Sometimes we are the planter of the seed, and sometimes we are the ones we see the harvest like my experience with the plants around my house.  Remember speaking to a loved one about Christ and seeing no results?  That was a seed.  The harvest may take days, weeks, or sometimes years.  But have faith the seed was planted. 

Seeds are also very powerful.  Remember the mustard seed of faith in Luke 17?  Imagine the power of moving mountains with the faith of a mustard seed?  What a word picture that is.  Let that sink in for a minute.  We can plant seeds for Christ which is the noblest goal.  We can plant seeds of love or hate into others.  My point is that we are always planting seeds even when we don’t realize it.  It is a matter of what kind of seeds are we planting.  Are they seeds of joy and encouragement, or are they seeds of discourse? 

What kind of seeds are you planting today? 

By the way, I still have the plant shirt… 

Luke 17:6 (NIV)

He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

2 Corinthians 9:6 (NIV)

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

Luke 8:5-15 (NIV)

5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture.7Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.8Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”

9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “ ‘though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”

11  “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.

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