By Doug Creamer
People Need the Lord
When I walk out to my garden I can’t believe how great it looks this year. I don’t have everything in, but what’s in is doing well. One thing I am doing differently this year is leaving the leaves from last fall on the beds and just pushing them back to plant the vegetables. My hope is that the leaves will keep the weeds down.
After a very warm April, I am enjoying the cooler start to May. The long-term forecast is suggesting that we might enjoy a cooler than average May before a hot summer kicks off. It makes for nice gardening and walking weather. I know the hot weather is on the way, but I am going to enjoy the relatively nice weather for now.
I helped my Mom plant some vegetables and flowers last week. We had fun working in her backyard. My brother and I created some raised beds for her that we planted with vegetables. We enjoyed getting our hands in the dirt and planting things. I think I got my love of gardening from my Mom. She has always loved growing flowers and vegetables.
While I enjoy vegetable gardening immensely, I appreciate the beauty of flowers and the awakening of spring each year. Growing vegetables and flowers stirs me up spiritually. I love seeing people grow spiritually. I guess that is why I love teaching Sunday school.
I did a three-week series in our Sunday school class about sowing seeds in various types of soil. I encouraged my class to remember the correlation between gardening and spiritual growth. We need to prepare hearts to hear the gospel message so they can receive the seeds of faith that will grow and produce a harvest.
We know that God’s Word is the seed from the parable of the sower. God’s seed is alive and active and ready to produce a harvest if it lands in good soil. People’s hearts are in all kinds of conditions. Some are as hard as concrete. They won’t hear anything from God. Others have some soil mixed with all kinds of hard places that will keep the seeds from growing. Others have too many cares choking out whatever God wants to do in their lives. Finally, we have those whose hearts are ready to receive God’s Word and produce a harvest for Him.
Every person needs the Lord no matter what the condition of their heart. We all have pain in our lives and we need God’s healing. The problem is that people’s hearts are in different places. Part of our job is to pray and ask God to guide us in helping people receive Him.
Sometimes we have to break up the hard soil, remove rocks, and pull weeds to help prepare the hearts that are far from God. We also have to be patient and allow God to work. We want to plant a seed today and go harvest a crop tomorrow. It doesn’t work that way. We have to give the Holy Spirit time and space to work. That’s why it is critical for us to be sensitive to God’s Spirit as we reach out to others. We don’t know where they are or how receptive their hearts are to the Lord.
We all know people who are distant from God. Hurting and broken people are all around us. People need the Lord. Our hearts need to be tender towards the people and sensitive to hear God. What He wants us to do is different for each person. Everyone can pray for those who are far from God. Our prayers make a big difference and can change circumstances. People who need the Lord need us to be sensitive, available, tender, and compassionate. People will open their hearts if they know that we love them just like God loves them.
I want to encourage you to pray for those in your life who need to open their hearts to God. Pray that God will work on their soil and prepare a place for His Word and love to land. Ask God what your role is in that process. How can He use you to help draw the person closer? Remember God is patient with each one of us and that it is His Spirit that draws a person into a relationship with the Father and Jesus. Often He will use us, but we need to be humble and available. People need the Lord and God will use you to help plant the seeds of love and hope in the hearts of those who don’t know Him.
Contact Doug Creamer at PO Box 777, Faith, NC 28041or doug@dougcreamer.com
