Planting Seeds For Harvest by Karen Ruhl

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity! -Psalm 133:1

Oh how I love people! My heart is so happy when I am around friends. Craig and I have moved more than most in our lifetime and know how valuable friendships can be. We keep in touch with our out of-state friends through social media, mostly. And we try to meet new friends all of the time.

A favorite parable of mine is The Parable of the Sower. You know it - right? Matthew 13:3-9 NKJV “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

How does this tie-in to making or keeping friends or planting seeds?

I admit that I am on fire for Christ. I want to share the Good News and let others know what they can have by accepting Christ as their Savior. Many of our friends are Christian. We love them dearly, and yet, we love to meet people who have not made the commitment to become part of God’s family.

Being a welcoming and friendly person lets God’s light shine and eventually, most friends will ask more or start a conversation about God. Sometimes, it goes like this, “I don’t believe in God or organized religion,” or “Why do you believe in God?” This is your time to listen more than you talk. It is not for us to try to convince, but to show the love and light that God has given us.

And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”

“He answered and said to them, ‘Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Therefore, I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.’” (Matthew 13:11-13 NKJV)

We are the ones who understand the parables. We need to live them so we can walk beside those who don’t believe or are seeking.

I still remember when I fell to my knees and repented. Suddenly, the words I had been reading in the Bible made sense to me. I saw my Christian friends in a different light. I changed my life and want to be a light to others. I want to plant seeds so God can harvest them. I want others to know the redeeming power that comes from knowing Christ.

God loved me enough to forgive my sins and welcome me into His family. Let’s plant more seeds today!