Gospel Seeds

I  was amazed to find out that the oldest seed that was able to germinate was estimated to be 32,000 years old! They were thought to be buried by some ice age squirrels in Siberia. The next oldest seeds that germinated were thought to be about 2,000 years old found in the Masada region in Israel. It is commonly known that some seeds lay dormant for many years and wait until the condition is right for them to germinate.If God has instilled such a strong desire to survive in plants, can you imagine what He is willing to do to make sure the seed of the gospel message that has been planted in a human heart survives? Often when we come across an opportunity to share the gospel, our first thought is to ascertain whether the person is going to be receptive to the message or not. It is like we are screening an applicant in a job interview! Who do we think we are?Consider my parents. If I think of a perfect candidate for the gospel message, they are as far from that model as you can imagine. They grew up in a world where Christianity was absolutely a foreign concept. They worshipped ancestors with shrines all over the house. That was the culture and all our relatives did the same thing. My Dad used to make fun of Susan and I going to church service and believing in this person called Jesus. But the seed that was planted germinated and they became Christians!Our job is clear, according to Matthew 13, in the parable of the sower, our job is to sow seeds. As a matter of fact, Jesus told us that there will be seeds that will not yield growth, but that is absolutely not up to us! Paul in I Corinthians 3:6-7 makes it clear that our job is to plant and water. Only God gives the growth. So let’s pray the prayer that Paul asked the Ephesians to pray for him in Ephesians 6:19-20. That we will open our mouth boldly when the opportunity comes and the Spirit will give us the words to speak. 

Samson Ling