Good day to you! Well, the holiday season has officially begun, and the Advent walk toward Christmas officially starts here. Let me ask you, what Christmas gift are you going to give to Jesus this year? perhaps its a gift to a charity. Maybe it's finally witnessing to that non-Believer who needs to hear the words of hope.
How about displaying to others what the kingdom of Heaven is like?
Matthew 13:31 and following: He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. Though it is the smallest of all your seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”Could you start planting the seed of hope to people around you? Just a small seed, representing Jesus Christ and what He means to you.
Volunteering and reading the Bible to an ESL class, or sending a greeting card with a promise of prayer in it to a lonely neighbor. Giving some groceries to a needy family along with a message of hope. Raking an old lady's lawn. Reading the Bible to a shut-in. Making a phone call to a relative who hasn't heard from you in a while.
Plan now on the presents - the seeds - you will be handing out this season.
You might be amazed, as the Scripture says, as how it grows and how people will find their rest in it. It will become monstrous and become a refuge for many who seek solace in this world. Jesus will make the refuge possible; you only have to plant the seed.
I can recall, as a child in a single-parent household, ho we struggled to make ends meet. There were six of us kids and my mom was hurting finanacially. One night as we were eating a simple dinner of homemade waffles, a knock came at the door. A nearby church was droppng off bags and bags of groceries. We didn't attend that church but it didn't matter; the Christians wanted to help us. I will always remember the cheerful face of the man who happily brought in the bounty to us and how we kinds just beamed. I think that was the first time I saw an act of Christian kindness towards our family and it's always stayed with me. I've tried to imitate that act many times over the years, because I know what it meant to me then. It was a seed of love openly displayed that grew in the heart of this little boy. It was the love of Christ.
May you look for ways to plant the seed this season. It should be first on your gift-giving list.
