Planting Seeds

The little green heads on our wheat are looking good. In just a few short weeks, we'll be harvesting. If God keeps hail and storm winds away, we are hopeful for a bountiful crop. The wheat was sown last winter. We've walked out to the field, prayed for it and enjoyed seeing it come up. We didn't, however, camp out next to the wheat. We didn't tell it how much it really needs to grow for us, we didn't fret over it, we didn't lecture or nag the stalks about the coming harvest or the fact that if they didn't produce then there wouldn't be a harvest. We didn't dig around in the dirt every other day, hoping to see the tiny seeds sprout, we didn't in any way try to help the seeds along. We did put nitrogen down in February, that's about it. We didn't attempt to control the wheat's environment - cause we obviously, couldn't.

To sum it up....we planted, we fertilized, we left it alone.

That's a pretty good philosophy regarding those you have been praying salvation for.

You can plant the seed, you can show them the love of Christ, show them you care. You can pray. You can pray that others plant seeds, or perhaps put down a little fertilizer. That's about it.

Once we've sown the winter wheat, growing it isn't our job.

Once you've sown Gospel seeds into another, growing them isn't your job.

The pressure is off of us as we watch the wheat grow and develop wheat heads...we can't control the rain, the lack of rain, the wind, hail, enough sun...or much of anything else. We have to trust God in His perfect design of creation and that He will allow the right elements so that we'll have a good crop, or a crop at all.

The pressure is off you as you wait and pray for that person. Maybe you see absolutely no sign of repentance, growth, or even interest...so you just keep waiting and praying. Trust God's perfect design of that person as He causes the heart to become plowed-up fertile soil ready to receive the Gospel.

You have enough to do without taking on jobs that you weren't meant to take. It's not your job to convict although you might be really good at criticizing and condemning. So take a deep breath, keep praying, hoping and believing....and let the Holy Spirit do it's job.