Time To Plant
The weather looked bad, and it was threatening to rain, but I could not wait any longer. It was time to plant the garden. So, I took my daughters out a few nights ago and we rototilled and planted the garden. We got done just before it started to rain. After all, it is that time of year again — time to plant the garden so we can enjoy a harvest later this summer.
Now some will say that it is still too early to plant, and they might be right. But I came up with a slogan several years ago and it seems to work well, “plant early, plant often.” Whether I wait a couple weeks or not, the bottom line is that the seeds will not grow if they are not put in the ground. Others might say that it is foolish to save and plant my own seeds because bought’n ones are more reliable. But I have noticed that it does not make much of a difference. Bought’n or home gathered, seeds need to be put in the ground to germinate and grow. Still others might say I am too busy to plant a garden. But what does how busy I am have to do with gardening? Busy or not, the garden will not grow if it is never planted. And then there are those that talk about all of the hazards and risks of planting a crop in Wyoming. There are the wind, hail, drought, frost, and wildlife to contend with. To be sure, other places in Wyoming are a lot worse off than Hulett. But none of those risks are 100%, which is the risk of crop failure when seeds are never sown.
And this is a good principle that also applies to church. If our only witness for Christ is the hour or two we spend in church every week, we are about as effective as a seed in a packet. If we take what we learn at church and never expose it to the elements, it will never produce, no matter how good the sermons we hear. Furthermore, if we are more concerned about what others will think or what others will do than we are about proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ, our church will become like an unplanted garden — a weedy unproductive eye-sore. Say what you will about Satan, but one thing is for sure, at least he is faithful to plant his seeds, contentious though they be. The bottom line is that we have the good news, wrapped up in the Bible and delivered to us every Sunday in neat little packets of preaching. Take that seed of the gospel of Jesus Christ home and plant it. Plant it at home. Plant it at work. Plant it at school. Plant it at the rodeo. Plant it at the fair. Plant it everywhere. God gives us plenty of seed. It is time to plant!
“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.” Matthew 13:31-32