AUGUST 4, Isaiah 55:11

“Hey, Dad,” said John one day as he leafed through a garden catalogue, “there’s a section in here called ‘Unusual Seeds.’ Can we order some?”

“Why not?” agreed Dad. “Exactly what kind did you have in mind?”

“Ginseng,”said John.“ This catalogue says it’s so valuable that its dried roots will sell for a lot of money in health food stores. Can I get some?”

Dad looked at the catalogue. “I don’t know,” he said. “ Those seeds cost a lot, and I’ve heard they take a long time to come up and grow-maybe even a year or more. Wouldn’t you rather have something you’d see sooner?”

John shrugged.“Well,maybe...but most of the stuff we plant will grow faster,” he said, “so I’d like to try growing something different, too. Even if only a few of them grow good, they could be worth a lot of money. Besides, you always say anything worth having is worth waiting for.”

“I guess you’ve got me there,” admitted Dad. “Okay, include ginseng in our order.” He grinned as he added, “But promise me you’ll wait a little more patiently for them to come up than you’re waiting for the seed you planted last night to show results.”

“Last night?” asked John. “I didn’t plant anything last night.”

“Sure you did,” said Dad. “I heard you and your friend Sam talking about God. Sam seemed to think a loving God would allow everyone into heaven, and you told him he needed Jesus to get there. After Sam left, you said you didn’t think he’d ever change his mind, right?” John frowned and nodded. “Every time we witness, we’re planting the ‘seed’ of God’s Word,” added Dad. “Sometimes it takes a long time to grow. But when it grows, it produces ‘fruit’ that will last forever.”

“And that’s worth the wait, right?” asked John.

“Definitely!” said Dad. “After you plant your ginseng seeds, you and I can remind each other to have faith and patience to see results-not only in the garden, but also in witnessing!”

Thought: Have you planted the seed of the Gospel - the Word of God - by witnessing? Have you been discouraged because you haven’t seen any results? Be patient.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to be brave enough to share the message of salvation with my friends in school. And teach me to leave the outcome to You. It may be that I won’t ever see the results, but You promised that Your word will accomplish its purpose – so what I’ve got to do is to trust in You. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.