I saw the following well-intentioned meme on FB this morning. It was posted by a wonderful ministry to encourage sharing the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ with the world around us, After all, sharing Christ with a lost world is the primary mission of believers everywhere. As a motivational tool for evangelism, it’s a great statement!

Then I felt the need to pause for a moment and think it through. It’s telling me that “I” can be the reason someone comes to Jesus for salvation. Is that really true? I can plant seeds and I can water, I can share the message that Christ died for our sins, but am “I” the real reason someone accepts Jesus? One of my favorite passages came to mind that gave me the answer to my question:

“And on the Sabbath day we (Paul and company )went out of the city (Philippi) to the riverside, where prayer was customarily made; and we sat down and spoke to the women who met there. Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul.” (Acts 16:13-14, emphasis mine).

It can’t be put any more plainer. Lydia heard Paul with her ears, and the Lord opened her heart to pay close attention to, and respond to Paul’s message.

For this old retired guy it means a lot. Think of the message of the gospel as ‘seed’. Seed, to sprout and grow needs fertile ground. Our hearts, by nature are like the ‘bad’ soil by the wayside, along with the stony and thorny ground that from which good plants will not grow. The ‘good’ soil in the parable is the heart God opens to hear and heed the message of the gospel that we share.

So what does all that mean? I’m glad you asked. It means that, instead of being the reason someone is saved, we who share Jesus are just humble farmers blessed with the greatest privilege God has bestowed on his children – imperfect messengers sharing the perfect message!

Food for thought. . . .

Be Blessed!