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It is presumptuous to plan too much about the future. But what about strategic planning, retirement funds, career goals, and saving up for a long-planned vacation? Is that presuming upon the future?
Jesus calls the farmer a fool for planning to tear down his barn and build a bigger one to store his wealth (Luke 12:28). In another story Jesus seems to assume that a sensible person will plan ahead and count the cost before starting a building project (Luke 14:28). But then James scoffs at those who make travel or business plans. “Why you do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (James 4:14). Is it foolish to plan ahead or is it just good common sense?
For me the answer lies in how tightly I grip my fists around my plan, how firmly I grit my teeth to reach my goal. James goes on to say, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will we will live and do this or that’” (James 4:15). Jesus’ problem with the rich farmer who was going to build a bigger barn was not his planning, it was his self-centeredness. The problem comes when we care more about our plans than we do about God’s plans. The farmer with the barn plans was a short-timer and a fool. Jesus warns others with a similar bent. “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God” (Luke 12:21).
Planning ahead is not a problem. But more important than our plans should be our desire to be “rich toward God.”
Sowing the Seeds of Love...
Sounds like a song I remember from Tears for Fears... hmm. Actually the title of this post refers to something a little (but not entirely) different. Parables. They were used extensively in the New Testament by Jesus to show his deciples what he meant by what he was saying. The parable I am referring to is from Matthew 13:3-8, that of the farmer and sowing of seeds:
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
This is by far the best parable that relates to our spiritual walk. In the first example it refers to seed falling on the path and birds eating it up. This is like the very weak spirited person that allows anything and everything to distract them from God. The examples gradually progresses from hard, rocky soil to good soil. This progression is that of our walk and how when we conciously attempt to weed (repenting or turning away from sin) and sow the soil (reading the bible and learning God's word) we will produce a crop that is multiplied beyond what we can imagine (winning souls for Christ).
Below is a letter I received from a friend who packed up everything and headed for a small country on the northern tip of South America called Suriname. God called him and his family to go there to teach in a Christian School. Here is what he wrote:
------------
"Hello Brothers in Christ,
To try and communicate some things to most of all the brothers I trust and care for will encompass some things that some of you can relate to, and others not so much. Forgive me thinking on-screen, I am just needing an outlet to a listening friend. Never before in my christian life has this sense of aloneness been so complete, though as a teenager, out tripping on the beaches and canyons of so.cal I found solace with my trusty guitar, and writing the ramblings of a lost boy in journals. I kept all of those musings and have them in a steel box in Seaside along with the student ID cards, hippie beads, drawings and headbands of another life. Here, however, is an entirely different place to write from, and to, and for reasons I am hoping to discover in the months to come, if at all.
I remember learning from my step-dad how to garden well. And if it wasn't well done, it would be done again, and again, and again.....until it was well done, good and faithful son. Even then, I understood the significance of turning the soil over, nursing the soil, building it up and preparing it well for the sowing. As a new believer in 1981 my soul began to learn the lessons of the Master Gardener from the parables. I committed the first year of my devotional life to reading, memorizing and getting into the story of the sower and the four soils. My early ferverent prayers were to be a disciple with deep roots, nourished, in good and hard times. Weed free, literally, and not out on the public road of acceptance, or choking and competing with the worlds enticements. Then I began growing food in my yards, and it has all come back to me.
My allegiance to my wife and children to protect and provide for them, has been my garden of sorts. I have prayed and fought for them to grow up as weed free as possible, cultivated in deep and meaningful soil, and spared the broad road that led to my own hard,dry,worn path. And when I was a youth pastor in Santa Cruz the garden included a bunch of other kids from the streets and broken homes of Soquel and Capitola. I remember feeling like the tired gardner who could't keep up with the weeds. When I prayed hard, and spent quality time, the weeds were at bay. When I got lazy, tired, or out of focus on the soil, up would come the weeds, thorns, and pain, that eventually broke my heart as a pastor.....then as a science teacher at Broadway Middle School, and now as a visiting worker in foreign lands.
Though the soil is of different colors, and the weeds are just as vigorous, gardening souls here is hard. The same crabgrass of sarcasm, clover of callousness, and weeds of the world (money, sex, pride, materialism etc...) infest this place too. I am torn as to my allegiance of where my skills will go. When I arrive at school, it is full-on garden-time of the soul until 2. Then theres soccer, youth group, and the school work until sleep. In my limited little world I still thought I'd just come and teach reading, writing, science etc...and play. But the Lord had a different job description than mine, duh...
So here I find myself, serving as a full-time youth pastor, missionary, and mentor to 100 international children. Every contact is rooted for the Lord. Every word, song, and grade, is looking to bear fruit for the gospel. And I'm still figuring out that this was not a vacation teaching experience. I'm on the front line, not the pool deck, of ministry. All my trusty tools and comforts are at home. I have nothing to rinse away the fatigue and dirt from a days service. I wake up with dirt under my skin, and the anticipation of pulling weeds and digging into lives all day, to plow up some fresh soil for Jesus. The weariness I felt in Santa Cruz has returned. The ligering dirt I lived with in Santa Monica gets stirred up everyday as I see and hear of these kids pains, and sufferrings. I can rejoice in the new soil coming up, and then glimpses of growth too. But at the end of the day, home and sweating until bed, the lonesome, and out-there feelings come to remind me that I am working , not for my agenda, but the Lords. And it is hard.
Thankfully I am taking little adventures here and there. Learning to windsurf, though the guys all desperately need Jesus and therefore I'm gardening again. I have come to value those bike rides on the beach, the afternoon paddle out til dark, the fire in the livingroom, and the voice of you, my brothers, and fellow gardners in Christ. There are no soul brothers here, mostly younger guys needing discipling, and some gardening tips...So, here I write, thinking of home fields, and the great tools there to really serve the Master. I wonder, are you guys gardening deeply with your unsaved friends? Are you pulling weeds for your families? Are you digging deeper into the good soil of the Lord in fellowship, worship, and study? You have all the comforts of home, that I dont, save one. Jesus.
Please pray for the school and the students here. The hindu, muslim, and rasta, all are corrupt with weeds and deciet. All need Him. My students are lonely, scared, and confused about the Love of God. And the student body is torn with whats cool, and whats not. Jesus is not. And my family is daily letting things go that they held onto for this venture. Surrendering what we wanted , for what He wants. This is hard, and your prayers and encouragement are needed and appreciated.
I hope and pray for you all that you are in the garden..."
--------
To say I have it hard, even with the "hardships" I have had through money issues and job issues, I cannot complain, but only be thankful...
"A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
This is by far the best parable that relates to our spiritual walk. In the first example it refers to seed falling on the path and birds eating it up. This is like the very weak spirited person that allows anything and everything to distract them from God. The examples gradually progresses from hard, rocky soil to good soil. This progression is that of our walk and how when we conciously attempt to weed (repenting or turning away from sin) and sow the soil (reading the bible and learning God's word) we will produce a crop that is multiplied beyond what we can imagine (winning souls for Christ).
Below is a letter I received from a friend who packed up everything and headed for a small country on the northern tip of South America called Suriname. God called him and his family to go there to teach in a Christian School. Here is what he wrote:
------------
"Hello Brothers in Christ,
To try and communicate some things to most of all the brothers I trust and care for will encompass some things that some of you can relate to, and others not so much. Forgive me thinking on-screen, I am just needing an outlet to a listening friend. Never before in my christian life has this sense of aloneness been so complete, though as a teenager, out tripping on the beaches and canyons of so.cal I found solace with my trusty guitar, and writing the ramblings of a lost boy in journals. I kept all of those musings and have them in a steel box in Seaside along with the student ID cards, hippie beads, drawings and headbands of another life. Here, however, is an entirely different place to write from, and to, and for reasons I am hoping to discover in the months to come, if at all.
I remember learning from my step-dad how to garden well. And if it wasn't well done, it would be done again, and again, and again.....until it was well done, good and faithful son. Even then, I understood the significance of turning the soil over, nursing the soil, building it up and preparing it well for the sowing. As a new believer in 1981 my soul began to learn the lessons of the Master Gardener from the parables. I committed the first year of my devotional life to reading, memorizing and getting into the story of the sower and the four soils. My early ferverent prayers were to be a disciple with deep roots, nourished, in good and hard times. Weed free, literally, and not out on the public road of acceptance, or choking and competing with the worlds enticements. Then I began growing food in my yards, and it has all come back to me.
My allegiance to my wife and children to protect and provide for them, has been my garden of sorts. I have prayed and fought for them to grow up as weed free as possible, cultivated in deep and meaningful soil, and spared the broad road that led to my own hard,dry,worn path. And when I was a youth pastor in Santa Cruz the garden included a bunch of other kids from the streets and broken homes of Soquel and Capitola. I remember feeling like the tired gardner who could't keep up with the weeds. When I prayed hard, and spent quality time, the weeds were at bay. When I got lazy, tired, or out of focus on the soil, up would come the weeds, thorns, and pain, that eventually broke my heart as a pastor.....then as a science teacher at Broadway Middle School, and now as a visiting worker in foreign lands.
Though the soil is of different colors, and the weeds are just as vigorous, gardening souls here is hard. The same crabgrass of sarcasm, clover of callousness, and weeds of the world (money, sex, pride, materialism etc...) infest this place too. I am torn as to my allegiance of where my skills will go. When I arrive at school, it is full-on garden-time of the soul until 2. Then theres soccer, youth group, and the school work until sleep. In my limited little world I still thought I'd just come and teach reading, writing, science etc...and play. But the Lord had a different job description than mine, duh...
So here I find myself, serving as a full-time youth pastor, missionary, and mentor to 100 international children. Every contact is rooted for the Lord. Every word, song, and grade, is looking to bear fruit for the gospel. And I'm still figuring out that this was not a vacation teaching experience. I'm on the front line, not the pool deck, of ministry. All my trusty tools and comforts are at home. I have nothing to rinse away the fatigue and dirt from a days service. I wake up with dirt under my skin, and the anticipation of pulling weeds and digging into lives all day, to plow up some fresh soil for Jesus. The weariness I felt in Santa Cruz has returned. The ligering dirt I lived with in Santa Monica gets stirred up everyday as I see and hear of these kids pains, and sufferrings. I can rejoice in the new soil coming up, and then glimpses of growth too. But at the end of the day, home and sweating until bed, the lonesome, and out-there feelings come to remind me that I am working , not for my agenda, but the Lords. And it is hard.
Thankfully I am taking little adventures here and there. Learning to windsurf, though the guys all desperately need Jesus and therefore I'm gardening again. I have come to value those bike rides on the beach, the afternoon paddle out til dark, the fire in the livingroom, and the voice of you, my brothers, and fellow gardners in Christ. There are no soul brothers here, mostly younger guys needing discipling, and some gardening tips...So, here I write, thinking of home fields, and the great tools there to really serve the Master. I wonder, are you guys gardening deeply with your unsaved friends? Are you pulling weeds for your families? Are you digging deeper into the good soil of the Lord in fellowship, worship, and study? You have all the comforts of home, that I dont, save one. Jesus.
Please pray for the school and the students here. The hindu, muslim, and rasta, all are corrupt with weeds and deciet. All need Him. My students are lonely, scared, and confused about the Love of God. And the student body is torn with whats cool, and whats not. Jesus is not. And my family is daily letting things go that they held onto for this venture. Surrendering what we wanted , for what He wants. This is hard, and your prayers and encouragement are needed and appreciated.
I hope and pray for you all that you are in the garden..."
--------
To say I have it hard, even with the "hardships" I have had through money issues and job issues, I cannot complain, but only be thankful...
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