Scatter the Seeds
Written by Sarah de Orlando
The first time I shared my faith happened unexpectedly. I was wearing steel-toed boots, a hard hat, and crunching through a dry field in Poland. I didn’t have a 5-point plan or a fancy pamphlet, but I kept showing up on daily walks and listening to my engineering coworker. Then one day, before I could stop myself from fear, I shared part of my testimony with him—that my trust in Jesus was changing my heart. I had been anxious and deeply depressed but now was hopeful, medication-free, and purposeful. I had never told anyone my story so frankly, especially to a coworker who didn’t share the same faith. God made me brave and joyous as I shared how he restored my broken heart.
What comes to mind when you hear the word “evangelism”? It may feel like many things to us - perhaps excitement to share what Jesus has done for you, or maybe obligation and shame that you haven’t done enough to share. But, instead of getting stuck on the term, God helped me see it was about sharing what he has done in my life. Like the woman at the well in John 4:29a, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did.” God’s love impacts and frees our hearts, moving us to live and share what we’ve experienced.
“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” Acts 17:26-27
Our family, friends, community, and the invitation for us to experience God’s presence are all planned and known by our Father. It is no accident you have the family, city, and neighbors you do. The Lord, in his goodness, knew when your life would begin and knows who you will impact as you seek him.
As the Old Testament frequently says, The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He sees his children intertwined through generations and nations; we are part of it now, carrying the beautiful calling of sharing God’s love through Christ’s death and resurrection so we may become part of his family.
In our daily lives, one loving gesture, an encouraging word, not only brings Jesus to the individual but will impact their sphere of influence as they are changed from the inside out by the Lord. Your obedience to scatter seeds builds God’s kingdom.
He provides sunshine, rain and softens the soil to nourish the seed. The Lord does the same work in people’s hearts as we live and share testimonies of how he’s changed our lives.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:9-11
Not all people, like seeds in Matthew 13:1-9, land on fertile ground and immediately receive the gospel with hope. Paul and the apostles experienced this in Acts 17, preaching the gospel in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. Many believed, but others didn’t. Some were angry, and others dug into the Scriptures to understand, but Paul and the apostles kept moving forward and showing up as the Lord led. God called them to use their gifts of teaching and evangelism to honor the Lord and set people free from the bondage of living by the Law or fruitless idol worship.
In our lives, the Lord knows we will not have a perfect reception as we share our faith. But that isn’t our responsibility. He knows the hearts of all people. “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart” (Proverbs 21:2). God sees the seeds of hope we’re planting in their hearts, even if they’re not ready to choose Jesus. So, trust he is working in you, through you, and in every seed you plant in word and action.
CALL TO ACTION:
Pray and ask the Lord to show you how you can “plant seeds” in your community.
Who can you call or visit and listen to their heart this week? So often, people are open to receiving encouragement as they are heard and feel loved.
Reflect on your testimony and ask the Lord to reveal how he’s been faithful to you.
