The Principle of Planting Seeds

John 12:24 Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.

In 2004, a college student came up with the idea to steal a book of Audubon’s bird illustrations from his school library. It was worth 12 million dollars. He enlisted the help of other students by appealing to their desire to make a splash with their lives. In the documentary “American Animals,” he said to them, “Did you ever feel like you’re waiting for something to happen, but you don’t know what it is–that thing that could make your life special?” Essentially, they joined his plot because they didn’t want to live ordinary lives.

Although I don’t agree with the path these young men took, I can relate to their longing to do something great with their lives. That desire in us may lead to self-serving activities, but God can also appeal to our aspirations in a healthy way. When Jesus called the fishermen, he said, “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” I can’t imagine that they had any idea what he meant, other than being a fisher of men certainly sounded more important that being a fisher of fish. Jesus was appealing to their desire to do something!

If we understand the principle of planting seeds, it will allow us to do great things with our lives. It is not when we aspire to greatness that we accomplish much. Rather, when we die to ourselves through loving, serving, and living for Jesus our lives are multiplied. A seed is just a seed. But a seed that is planted becomes something hundreds or thousands of times greater. The principle of planting seeds leads to significant impact!