A brief prayer is offered that you can add to your daily prayers this week. The scripture is from our Sunday Service Bulletin. We continue a seven Sunday series on “Making Disciples”. Today, we introduce a nature-based four step metaphor for making disciples: Plant, Sprout, Grow, Bear Fruit.
Epistle Reading- 1 Peter 3:13-17
13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good?14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
Devotion: Planting Seeds
If you attend church, I’ll bet there are ministries or activities that are designed to reach out to the unchurched. The goal is to get them the message of salvation and grow their faith enough that they will reach out to the unchurched to get them the message of salvation to ……..you get the idea! Seeds have to be planted to get someone started down their path to salvation. For me, my parents took me to worship every week, twice on Sunday and once on Wednesday evening. It took a while for me, maybe a very long time, but eventually my faith grew. I hope I that now I am planting seeds like my parents. Can you remember how the seeds were planted for your journey? The text today in verse 15 personalizes the way to outreach or plant seeds by saying to the effect: we should always have the reason on the tip of our tongues when an outreach opportunity arises, why we live the way we do by honoring God. If we have this opportunity, God wants us to deliver the message gently, humbly and with reverence. I hope you are planting seeds too. There are all kinds of ways of planting and the eventual bearing of fruit may be long after our earthly journey is complete.
We pray: “Lord make me more like you. Amen”