NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL THE SEED IS PLANTED.

Jesus said, “Unless a grain of wheat is buried in the ground, it cannot reproduce. But if it dies, it will produce much fruit.” John 12:24

Seeds don’t do any good if they remain in the packet. They must be planted—given away. This is true of every seed. It gives up its life in order to produce fruit. Imagine a farmer buys a big sack of corn, puts it in a barn and then is afraid to do anything with it. “I’m going to hold on to it. I might not have enough.” We would say that is foolish – seeds are meant to be planted. Seeds are meant to be given away. Every act of planting is an act of faith. We’re saying, “I believe that something great is going to happen because I plant this seed, because I’m giving away what I have. I’m not going to keep it in my bag. I believe it’s going to produce some fruit.” Planting seeds is risky. The seed is covered up and it’s buried and you wonder, is that seed going to sprout? Is it going to come up? What if it fails? What if I give my seed away and nothing comes of it? Planting is always an act of faith. Jesus said in Mark 4, “The kingdom of God is like someone who plants seed in the ground. Night and day, whether the person is asleep or awake, the seed still grows, but the person does not know how it grows.” John Smith, our senior pastor, shared a number of Daring Faith projects and ideas. About planting new multi-site churches, partnering with local and global compassion organizations, hiring a new teaching pastor, upgrading our facility and technology, expanding our special needs ministry. Each of these ideas are seeds right now. They’re still in the package. Unless we actually plant them, begin to take action, put some energy, effort and money into them and actually plant them—they’ll remain a package of great Daring Faith seeds. Which of those ideas resonates with you? Which of them seem daring to you? Begin to consider your role in helping to plant these seeds.  

1. What did you hear? What did God say to you as you read today’s Scripture and Devotion?
2. What do you think? How does it apply to your life?
3. What will you do? Don’t just be a hearer of the word. Be a doer of the word. (James 1:22)
4. Now Talk To God: This is where you turn your thoughts into prayer. It could be a prayer of gratitude or praise. It could be a prayer of confession or a request for God’s help. Take a minute to write a prayer of response.