"We Never Know"

“We Never Know”

 

One summer day about 35 years ago I had the unique privilege of explaining the basic elements of Christianity to a group of 30 Orthodox Jewish teenagers and four of their adult leaders from a nearby Hebrew camp. I had never before been presented with such an opportunity. I prayed then (and still do when I remember the incident) that the seeds sown in their hearts and minds might grow and cause these people to recognize that Jesus is their Messiah.

You might be wondering how this happened. Three summers previously one of the teaching rabbis stopped by our church and asked if he could use the piano to practice some classical music as there was no suitable instrument available at the camp. We gave permission and two or three times a week he would come and work to develop his talent. When that year’s instructor suggested that a Christian minister be asked to speak to the group our piano playing friend gave him my name. The arrangements were made and about 35 of God’s chosen people heard the story of Jesus Christ, their Messiah.

This series of events shows us that we never know how God will use the seeds we sow day by day. In this case it was three years before we could see God’s purpose and how He’d planned it all out. Had the piano player gone somewhere else to practice or had we not allowed him to use our building we never would have been able to present Christ to these people. Praise God for opening this door!

Do you sometimes get discouraged because you feel you’re not contributing much to spreading the message of Christ? If so, remember “…It is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.” (1 Corinthians 4:2). So God isn’t looking for visible results as much as He is for faithful servants. And in 1 Corinthians 3:6 it says, “I (Paul) planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” This shows we each have our job to do and God will bring about the results if we serve using our special combination of spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality, and experiences (Rick Warren calls this our S.H.A.P.E.).

Friend, keep sowing those seeds—we never know how God might make them grow.

Blessings!

Jim McMillan