A Lesson From An Apple

By Pastor Bruce Oyen

E-mail: bk_oyen@hotmail.com

     In this posting, I want to make a practical lesson from an apple. My lunch several days a week consists of two apples and 4 - 6 small cookies. I know! I know! I need to quit the apples and eat more cookies for lunch. But it is hard to do. So for now, I will eat both the cookies and the apples. Maybe some day guilt will so overwhelm me that it will cause me to never eat an apple again. But right now apples and cookies suit me just fine!    

     More seriously, back to the lesson I want to make from an apple: when we get to the core of an apple, what do we see? Seeds. That's right seeds. Little seeds.

     It came to mind one day while looking at these seeds that every apple has the potential to reproduce itself through them. If those seeds are planted, they have the potential to produce more apple trees, which have the potential to produce more apples. And on and on it goes.

     But, if those seeds remain within the apple they can't reproduce themselves. And, if we eat apples and throw the core and its seeds away, those seeds can't reproduce themselves. Those seeds must become trees so the trees can bear apples that will produce more seeds.

     Now here's my point: we Christians have an important seed that must be planted for it to reproduce itself. I'm referring to the seed of the Gospel. In Luke 8:4 - 15 we are told an important parable by the Lord Jesus Christ.  In the parable we read about a man who went out and sowed (planted) some seed. The seed fell on four places:

• "by the way side," verse 5.
• "upon a rock," verse 6.
• "among thorns," verse 7.
• "on good ground," verse 8.

    The Lord pointed out that the seed did not produce lasting fruit on any location, except on the good ground.
    What is represented by the seed in this parable? In Luke 8:11 Jesus said this: "The seed is the word of God."
    What is represented by the four locations on which the seed fell? In Luke 8:12 - 15  Jesus said they represent four different kinds of hearts in which the word of God is planted when it is heard or read. He also spoke of the responses of those persons to the Word of God.

    Yes, the seed is the Word of God. More specifically, in this context it is the Gospel (Good News) of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ. We Christians have that seed in our hands, so to speak. But we must "plant" it for it to reproduce more Christians. Those persons who accept the message immediately get salvation from Jesus.

    How can we plant that seed in the hearts of others? By speaking to them about the Lord. By giving them a Gospel tract, book, or New Testament to read. By inviting them to church services where the seed can be planted in their hearts by the music, by the sermon, by the Sunday school lesson, or by someone else's words to them. By inviting them to a Bible study group. What they do with the seed is up to them. But at least we will have made an attempt to get the seed into their hearts, praying that they will believe it and be saved.

    May the Lord help us to get busy and plant the seed of the Gospel in the hearts of others. In the hearts of many others!

Help Me To Plant the Gospel Seed!

By Pastor Bruce Oyen

   Lord, help me to plant the Gospel seed

in the hearts of girls, boys, women, men.

   Then help them, Lord, to believe it

so they will be saved and born again.