THE SEED

A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was time to chose a successor to take over the business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different.
He called all the young executives in his company together.
"It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO," he said. "I have decided to choose one of you."
The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - a very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed.
He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed.
Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.
Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.
Six months went by - still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - he so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened.
Jim felt sick at his stomach. It was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed. A few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.
Jim just tried to hide in the back.
"My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO.
"Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.
Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed. Jim told him the story.
The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Here is your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO the others said?
Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed.
I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.
All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers.
"When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends.
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness.
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective.
If you plant hard work, you will reap success.
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
If you plant faith in Christ, you will reap a harvest.
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.
Two thousand years ago Paul wrote to the church at Galatia the same story but with fewer words, "What you sow, so shall you reap" (Gal. 6:7).
"We are grass that will wither and die but the incorruptible seed of God's Word will live forever - sow it daily into the life of your family! (1 Peter 1: 23 - 25).
--Author Unknown

The Price and Power of Revival

And still more heart-wrenching sermonettes from Life Action Revival Ministries...


The Price and Power of Revival
by Duncan Campbell


In this passage, I discover that a power is placed at the disposal of the Church that can outmaneuver and baffle the very strategy of Hell, and cause death and defeat to vanish before the presence of the Lord of Life. Barrenness is made to feel His fertilizing power.
Yet, how is it that while we make such great claims for the power of the Gospel, we see so little of the supernatural in operation?

more...

The Depth of Galatians 2:20

I recently received this from Bill Stevenson...

The Aramaic translation reads "And with the Messiah, I am staked - so it be not I who is living, but the Messiah living in me.. who loved us and gave his soul in our stead."

This passage in Galatians 2:20 is the treasure house of the new creation.Your eternal purpose and destiny are found in this one verse.The death, burial, and resurrection with Jesus is contained here.

There is no turning around. Try as you will there is no greater reality than the full and complete cross of Christ Jesus. I find it interesting that so many streams of theology differ on the view of the cross. Unfortunately in the day we live the death of Christ is almost totally neglected except on Easter.However, this is where the believer's life not only ended but began as well and must continue.

The Gospel For Our Day

This is a great piece on what the gospel should mean to us as modern day Christians living in a world with real issues currently at work around us. Only an understanding of our purpose and mission in life will allow us to respond in the way that God wants us to -- with His love (II CORINTH 5:14)

JUST SOMETHINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Been awhile, I know...
WORK! FAMILY TIME! CHURCH LIFE!
Mostly recovering from heart problems,--physically and spiritually!
The spiritual heart issues are an ongoing thing...
I mean we are talking COMMITTMENT, DEVOTION, DISCIPLESHIP...
All things relating to our walk and relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ!
We have to remember why we are here, our purpose on planet Earth.
LIFE just seems to get in the way, doesn't it? But God...
He wants to live and work through our everyday lives.
Living life with us and in us...TO THE FULLEST EXTENT POSSIBLE.
BUT we tend to forget He is there, don't we.
We are so-o-o used to doing things by ourselves, doing things our own way.
We really don't put Him first place in LIFE!
And it is the little things that eat away at our time during the day.
God wants to INVADE our lives and make it worthwhile...
HAPPY! ABUNDANT! FULL OF ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES...
All we have to do is hook up with HIM, find out where HE is going, what HE
is doing, and WALK WITH HIM IN AND THROUGH IT ALL.
Steven Curtis Chapman had a song a few years back "THIS IS THE GREAT ADVENTURE"!