READ: JOHN 13: 13-17
“I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (V. 1)
Aldi grocery stores devised a method to get carts out of the parking lot after customers unload their groceries into their vehicles. You put a quarter in a slot to unlock your cart and then get it back upon returning it. Their policy has unintentionally set in motion the practice one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit—kindness (Galatians 5:22). In recent weeks my wife and I have been the beneficiaries of a free cart and told to: “Pass it on.” Following this admonition, and our Christian beliefs, we sowed a little kindness by happily giving the cart to the next shopper or leaving it inside the door. This repeated planting of the seed of kindness has reaped a harvest of “thanks” and smiles— a much-needed brief respite from the tumult of today’s world.
Shifting focus to more personal seed planting situations, I offer the following two events. Gary, a member of my church men’s group, shared that he was friends with a highly respected and beloved local university teacher– Tony. Tony became seriously ill in his later years of life and was admitted to the hospital. During Gary’s visits it was evident, through their conversations, that Tony was not a believer. But this began to change when April, his primary medical professional, would talk to him about Jesus every time, she entered the room( Active seed planting in progress). Then came the event that changed Tony’s relationship with the Lord forever. Tony needed a lot of care and had no place to go upon discharge. No problem, April and her husband made space in their home. Yes, she took her patient home—well beyond the call of duty! Thanks to her, Tony’s seeds of faith sprouted and grew. In fact, Tony became a full-grown believer before he passed away.
Pastor Ernie Potts of the 1st Methodist Church of Homosassa, FL, related that he and his family were involved in a serious car crash in 1969. The crash occurred in North Carolina as they were traveling home to New Jersey from a Florida vacation. Pastor Ernie and his brother and two sisters sustained serious injuries requiring extensive hospitalization and treatment in North Carolina. His mother stayed with the children and his father returned to New Jersey to work. Not a real church person, his Dad visited Pastor Roger and asked him to pray for his family. Pastor Roger not only prayed, but made an immediate trip from New Jersey to North Carolina where he made arrangements for a place to stay for mom and her children during their recovery. Sacrificial servant-based leadership that kept a family together. A seed planted that eventually led Ernie to the ministry.
PAUSE FOR REFLECTION AND PRAYER
Active service for Christ can be done in a parking lot, a hospital, or in a church environment. It just takes a willing heart and the desire to follow Jesus’ example.
Dear Jesus, help us do what you did for us so that we may plant seeds and bear fruit for you.