So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything,
but God who causes the growth. 1 Corinthians 3:7

Let’s keep planting seeds because we never know when that seed will grow and bloom in possibly the most unlikely places.

When we lived in Bangalore I was teaching spoken English to many college students from many different countries. We had classes during the week and we had them over for dinner about once a month. I learned how to make some of their special dishes like Kapsa from the Middle East. Now I have many friends from all these different countries and we keep in touch on Facebook. They write to me and tell me what is going on in their lives. I treasure these friendships and the seeds I have sown there.

One young man came from Yemen and also attended our church in Bangalore. He ended up joining the military but his faith in Jesus grew. His last night in Bangalore, he came to our house for dinner on the rooftop and asked us, “How can my sins be forgiven?” We told him about Jesus and he accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. After five years, he met some friends of ours in Egypt.Then he told us he wanted to become a government official to help the nation of Yemen. After that he became the Minister of Education in Yemen. And we are amazed at the small seeds we were able to sow.

Another young man was an entrepreneur even in Bangalore even though he was from Chad and grew up in Saudi Arabia. We planted many seeds in his life and after several years, he told me that he knew about Jesus more than I knew. He got married and had a baby girl. The other day, he wrote to me and told me about a group of people he is helping in Niger who were from a tribe that were slaves. It is not his job but he is helping them out of his compassion. I was deeply touched by his story and amazed again by the result of seeds we had planted many years ago.

I don’t know all the stories of the students I had in Bangalore but even just a few have encouraged me so much.

How about you?

Do you have a story about any seeds you have planted in people’s lives to help them get closer to Jesus?

Remember, God causes the growth in people’s lives.

What is God leading you to do this week in order to plant some seeds no matter who the person is?

This week Rick met a beggar here in Chicago who is from Delhi, India. They are beginning to know each other and guess what? Rick has already planted a seed in his life to help him get closer to Jesus.