I’m going to stay in the Old Testament for a couple more examples before jumping into the New Testament. There are just so many gems to uncover there. The examples I'm giving are just one small slice of the pie. Let's face it – do a popularity contest between the Old and New Testament and the New wins every time. Sure, you've got the Creation story, and the biggies like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, and David but for the most part, the Old Testament (not including Psalms, of course) is tough reading. Growing up as a Christian, I tended to stay in the New Testament. But once I really discovered the Old Testament, and read about all the many different servants of God following steadfast to His will, a new door of understanding opened to me. All the so-called minor roles, like Eliezer, fill up the Old Testament, and what a powerful message God gives us through their story. We can serve God in small ways and big ways, but all ways are important. Don't let the Old Testament go under your radar for Bible study, and don't just stick with the big stories. Dig deeper and find the gems. You'll find a whole treasure full of them once you do.
Never Stop Planting Seeds
Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow—perhaps they all will. Ecclesiates 11:6
Rahab the Prostitute (Joshua 2)
When the Israelites were finally ready to enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, they found it already occupied so Joshua sent a couple of spies ahead to scope out the area around Jericho. So they go and end up staying that night at the house of a prostitute named Rahab.
Hey now! Huh?
Okay, don't get any ideas here. Remember that God uses all types of people in His service and only He knows what is in their heart. Society can be quick to judge by appearances or even past deeds but God calls everyone to forgiveness and His door is always open to all who hear His call no matter what their past or how insignificant the world may view them. In this case, perhaps God knew that Rahab was open to Him, maybe even looking to start over and change her ways.
So the rest of story goes that the King of Jericho caught the wind that these spies may be hanging out with Rahab, and at great risk to her life, she covers for these strangers and helps them get away, thereby saving their lives so they can go back later and report to Joshua.
Why would Rahab, both a pagan and Canaanite (yes, and a prostitute) be interested in God? She recognized Him as the true and only God. Her heart was open to listening. Sometimes that is all it takes – be willing to listen (and obey). Rahab may have never done another brave act like that again, but her faith saved her and her family, literally.
Rehab planted one seed that day by her actions and by putting her trust in a God she new little about, except that He is the one and only true God.
Every seed counts.
Jonah – A Whale of a Tale
Here's the story of the reluctant, ornery prophet and it's a story you may know well all ready. How God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and tell the people that in forty days their city would be destroyed, but Jonah had other plans in mind. You have to admit, the guy has guts saying no to God because basically, he was prejudiced against the non-Jews. Why did Jonah really turn tail and run? Maybe out of anger about not wanting to share his God with anyone else, or maybe he was a bit afraid. How often have we not heeded God’s will for us because of fear, stubbornness, laziness, or any of a hundred reasons?
So you know the rest of the story - Jonah sails away in the opposite direction of Nineveh, the storm comes, overboard he goes, gets swallowed by a big fish then regurgitated later on shore, where he gives in and does his job. And then, get this, when the people actually listen to him and repent of their sins, Jonah gets mad at God for showing His immense kindness and unfailing love when He doesn't destroy the city. Jonah is all embarrassed that nothing he predicted was going to happen. What a crotchety old dude, huh? Instead, just like He did with the people of Nineveh, God teaches him a gentle lesson about showing kindness to those who are truly repentant.
Those Reluctant Prophets –
Don’t Worry, God says, I Will Always Help You
"O Sovereign Lord," I [Jeremiah] said, "I can't speak for you! I'm too young!" "Don’t say that," the Lord replied, "or you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you. I, the Lord, have spoken!" Jeremiah 1:6-8
Sometimes we all need a good boot in the butt by God to get us going. When we are reluctant seed planters - because of fear, distractions, or any other excuse - God moves to move us. I welcome those times. I welcome God acting directly in my life - hopefully it's not because I'm not doing His will like Jonah in the beginning. I know those times are going to happen though since I'm a sinner and I'm glad God cares about me enough to send those gentle motivators every now and then.
Has God sent you a whale of your own to turn you around?
How did you respond?
This next blog provides several examples of seed planters in part to inspire you as well as to give you an idea of how to get started or what area to focus on as a seed planter. Maybe you’ll see an example from a person in God's Word that will make you think, "Yeah, I like to do that" or "I'm good at that. I’d love to use that talent of mine as a way to share my faith with others."
We'll look at seed planters from the past and we'll also look at people who might not even believe in Jesus but God used them as unknowing seed planters. So let's get started and see some examples in God's Holy Word. Why not go straight to the source, right? It's all in there. Come on, let's jump in.
Be like Sweet Perfume to the World
But thanks be to God, who made us His captives and leads us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume.
2 Corinthians 2:14
Oldies but Goldies
The Old Testament contains a field-full of seed planters. Reluctant prophets, support people, skilled craftsman are but a few examples of the kind of people God used to spread the word and do His will back in the day. How were they seed planters? By how they lived their life; by how they used their gifts (time, treasures, talents) in service to Him; by how they never lost faith even in the most trying of times. Through the actions of their lives and choices they made to serve God they planted seeds. They gave an example for all time for us to emulate as the stories were recorded by God within His Word for all of us to read and absorb.
We'll start with some of the seemingly forgotten individuals of the Bible and save the big guns like Joseph and David till later in another blog. Everyone is important to God and all have a purpose in serving God, whether the task be little or great. Even back in the Old Testament, God worked through His seed planters – down to the tiniest little mustard seed of a planter.
The Support Team
Melchizedek (Genesis 14:17-20; Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5-7)
Mel who? No, not Mel Torme, though he has a nice singing voice. And not Mel Passion Gibson. Melchizedek was a king in the Old Testament during Abraham's time. Melchizedek was a God-fearing man whose name meant King of Righteousness. He was the king of Salem (the site of the future Jerusalem) and the Bible says he was a priest of God Most High. What's interesting to note is that Melchizedek worshipped the same God as Abraham but was not Jewish. The Jews, as God's chosen people, kind of had God’s ear back then. God talked directly to Abraham, wrestled with Jacob, and was pretty hands-on with Moses. But here is this guy, on the outside, you might say, who had not even met Abraham before, who wears his belief on his sleeve because the first thing he does is offer Abram (his name before God changed his name to Abraham. God seems to love changing people’s names in the Old Testament, don’t you think? It’s basically like a baptism, as God bestows on them a new quest to serve Him along with the new name) a blessing:
"Blessed be Abram by God most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who has helped you conquer your enemies." (Genesis 14:19-20)
Not much is really known about Melchizedek, but that's okay. What we do know is that his love for God reflected directly through his character. God speaks through many different people. And He will speak through you if you let Him – either in your words or your deeds (or both). And God will speak to you, too, through other people. God wants you to know Him as much as He wants you to tell others about Him.
Eliezer (Genesis 24)
Sometimes we are seed planters when we simply do our job; when we honor our responsibilities, are trustworthy and reliable, and above all, put our steadfast trust in God. Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, was one such person. He was tasked with going out to find a wife for Abraham's son, Isaac. Not only that, he had to figure out a way to keep him from marrying one of those hot Canaanite women.
Pretty big task, huh? I can imagine Abraham speaking to Eliezer: "Ahh, hey Eliezer, I’m too old to go off and find a wife for my son so you do it. And hurry up before one of those floozy Canaanite women get their mitts on him. Just go to my homeland and find someone. That way. And thanks."
"Surrrrre, Abraham, no problem. Just go that way, huh? Yeah, sure, I’ll get right on that. Not!" That might have been my answer but I sure hope not.
But it wasn't Eliezer's answer. Eliezer did trust, did have faith. Abraham said an angel would help direct him. Eliezer prayed for guidance. He didn't rush things but let God direct him and followed through completely. He brought Rebekah home to Isaac. Eliezer fulfilled his role as God intended – as a true servant. That was talent, serving. He did his task without hesitation (Just do it). Imagine if he hadn’t. If he had gotten scared or lazy or lost faith and just wandered off and never came back to Abraham. That would mean Jacob (renamed Israel – there's that name thing again) would never have been born – and all his sons (the tribe of Israel) never would have been born. Most importantly, the genealogy leading to the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ, would have been broken!
All because a simple servant named Eliezer did his job. And did it faithfully. He may have only planted one seed, we don't know. But the seed he planted as recorded in the Bible was a pretty big one, don't you think?
Moses' Craftsmen – Bezalel and Oholiab (Exodus 31:1-11)
Do you have a talent that involves being artistic? Are you skilled in creating crafts of all kinds? Look how God gave these talents to those in the Old Testament to serve His glory and think about what message you could put into the arts and crafts that you create:
Using Your Talents: Someone Has to Make the Tassels
And the Lord said to Moses, "Say to the people of Israel: ‘Throughout the generations to come you must make tassels for the hems of your clothing and attach the tassels at each corner with a blue cord. The tassels will remind you of the commands of the Lord, and that you are to obey his commands instead of following your own desires and going your own ways, as you are prone to do.'"
Numbers 15:37-39
"The Lord said to Moses, 'Look, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, intelligence, and skill in all kinds of crafts. He is able to create beautiful objects from gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in cutting and setting gemstones and in carving wood. Yes, he is a master at every craft!
"And I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the naturally talented craftsmen so they can make all the things I have instructed you to make: the Tabernacle itself; the Ark of the Covenant; the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement; all the furnishings of the Tabernacle; the table and all its utensils; the gold lampstand with all its accessories; the incense altar; the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils; the washbasin and its pedestal; the beautifully stitched, holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests; the anointing oil; and the special incense for the Holy Place. They must follow exactly all the instructions I have given you.'"
Whoa, what an endorsement, huh? "Yes, he is a master at every craft!" So maybe you can't preach like Paul, but if you like to draw, or sew, paint, do craftwork – start planting those seeds in your work and when someone asks you what that symbol of the cross means in your work, then God is watering that seed.
Aaron (Exodus – Deuteronomy 10:6)
Now Aaron wasn't perfect by any means. We all saw the movie The Ten Commandments and watched John Carradine as Aaron wimp out and give into the people's demands to make the golden calf. But he repented and God accepted his repentance and Aaron went on to become the first high priest of God in Israel! God used the special abilities He gave to Aaron for his purpose, and Aaron came through. He served God with his skills.
Aaron was a good communicator. When Moses got a little tongue tied trying to talk the Pharaoh into letting the children of Israel go, Aaron was always there to step in and articulate. He was part of the team God put together and he knew his place. Moses was the leader, Aaron never tried to take over even though he was the better communicator. And Moses' strength as a leader helped Aaron, too, who, as we see when Moses goes away for just a little while, is easily swayed by the will of the people.
Aaron was a key support person. He served God, faults and all, and became an example to all of Israel in how to obey God through his key role as the high priest.
We are not all leaders and that's okay. The followers, the support people, are there with all of their own individual talents and skills, who together, use them to serve God’s total plan – to lead everyone to His love, forgiveness, and salvation.
The Three T's
If our main purpose is to tell others about the Good News of Christ (and it is), then does it mean we are limited to just having conversations with people? No. There are many ways to tell others about Christ. There are many ways to plant seeds, either directly or indirectly, that play a part in God’s plan to work through every Christian to tell the world about His love. It all comes down to using the three T's as effectively as possible.
TIME
Time is a precious commodity. Maybe the most precious. Through an efficient use of our time, much can be achieved. But time can be wasted. The thing about time, and why it is so precious, is that you can never get it back. Once used, either effectively or squandered, it’s gone.
Christ Calls Us
Then Jesus said to the disciples, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life." Matthew 16:24-25
How we use our time can make all the difference in being an effective witness and a servant of God. Taking a Saturday afternoon out of your schedule to help make door-hanger invitations to your church for your surrounding community is a way of using time effectively to serve God. Or, you could make the choice instead to go the beach or do some other fun activity, and think, "Someone else will do it." This is squandering the time God has given you.
Now don't get me wrong. God gives us time so that we can enjoy life and do pleasurable things. God wants us to have time to relax and enjoy life. Balance is the key. How many times have you made the choice to do something for yourself rather than help your church with a project or answer that nagging call God has placed inside you to start serving His purpose, yet you ignore it? It's much easier to not get involved, not talk about God, not put God first over our own desires. Isn't it? Oh yeah, it sure is.
Listen to what Paul says in Romans 7:15-25:
"I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.
"I know that I am rotten through and through so far as my old sinful nature is concerned. No matter which way I turn, I can’t make myself do right. I want to, but I can’t. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it.
"It seems to be a fact of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart. But there is another law at work within me that is at war with my mind. This law wins the fight and makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord..."
Is this guy kicking himself in the pants or what? Here we have the apostle Paul, arguably the MVP of apostles, beating himself to a pulp over and over saying I want to do good, but don’t; I want to do right but don't. So I hear you, people. It is hard to put God first, to make Him the priority, to serve Him first before serving yourself.
Yes, it's hard. But just as at the end when Paul (you can just hear him scream it out) bellows out, "Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!", we too, know that Jesus will save us, strengthen us, help us.
You just have to decide to make it your priority and discipline yourself to keep at it. And pray, pray, pray. Read, read, read (the Bible). Those are your two best tools to keep you motivated and focused in using your time to serve God. Seems obvious, right? But how often do we have this great idea to serve God (the spirit is willing) and start out gang-busters, only to realize a week or so later we’ve fizzled out and become distracted or discouraged?
Yeah, me too. Just like Paul.
Don’t let time slip through your fingers.
Use your time wisely. Use it to serve God first – in all that you do.
TREASURE
The second of the three T's. Money, money, money. It’s a tricky thing, money is. The root of all evil – yes, sometimes. But we need it, too. And it is a blessing from God. How we use it, that is, how we prioritize its use, however, is the key – just like time. When you make money more important than God, you're not serving God. As Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." (Luke 16:13)
Like time, using your treasures, your gifts from God, to serve Him, is a way of planting seeds. It may be more of an indirect way, but it's a powerful way.
Our churches, our missionaries, our outreach programs are all funded through monetary gifts. We tithe on Sunday. We give of our first fruits as a thank you to God for all He has done. We don't give our leftovers, or only if we can afford it, but we give because He first gave to us.
You know the parable in Luke 21 about the poor woman who put two pennies into her offering. Jesus said she had given more than all the rest, including the rich people, because they gave only a tiny part of their wealth, but she gave everything she had.
The point is to make a conscious effort to put God first in your treasures. Everything you have is from God anyway; you're simply giving back what He has given you. So give first to Christ, right off the top. Don’t first think about what bills you have to pay or vacation you have to say up for. Give first. Give joyfully.
Look at the story of Zacchaeus in Luke 19. Here was a very rich and very influential tax collector, albeit a little short in height. He climbed a tree to get a look at Jesus, but then to his surprise, Jesus called him by name and basically invited himself for dinner in Zacchaeus’ home. We know from the accounts in the Bible that tax collectors were traditionally cheats and robbers – otherwise known as notorious sinners. But Jesus had touched this man’s heart and he repented of his ways and said to Jesus, "I will give half of my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have overcharged people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!" And Jesus responded, "Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a son of Abraham. And I, the Son of Man, have come to seek and save those like him who are lost."
Imagine what wonderful things Zacchaeus did with his wealth to help others from that moment going forward for the rest of his life.
Give first. Give joyfully.
TALENTS
With TALENTS I'm also including INTERESTS. Usually the things that we are good at are things that we like to do. Or we just may be really interested in a subject or an activity that we get really excited about. God has given you special talents and interests so that you: (1) experience extreme joy in using your talents; (2) share your talents to benefit and serve others; and (3) at the same time, use your talents in service to God by fulfilling God's purpose for you (and you know what that purpose is, right? I know you do but lets just say it again, okay? Your purpose is to share the GOOD NEWS of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord).
When it comes to your talents and interests, everyone is different. God's covering all his bases. Let's go back to Romans again and see what God tells us (I just love the book of Romans. It’s like the ultimate survival guide for Christians. If I was on a desert island and could only have two books from the Bible to read, I'd pick Romans and Psalms. It would be a tough choice not picking one of the gospels, but Romans has it all. Check it out and see).
"...We are all parts of His one body, and each of us has different work to do...God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly...Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically." Romans 12:5-11
More to follow...
