MAKE THE MOST OF THE OPPORTUNITIES…
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (Two part lesson.)
LET US ASK AN EASY QUESTION…
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF A SEED? Profit potential --- bushel potential? Truck potential? Let us calculate 15,000 seeds per acre… the return is huge… A SEED CARRIES NEW LIFE… but you must bury it. IT MUST DIE TO LIVE.
John 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
WE LEARN TO PROCRASTINATE AND WASTE TIME LIKE WE HAVE PLENTY OF TIME! ONE OF THE GREATEST AND BOLDEST LIES OUR ENEMY WHISPERS IN OUR EARS MIGHT BE: YOU HAVE PLENTY OF TIME… YOU ARE A FAILURE? MY FRIEND, YOU FAILED THE TEST! BUT WE MUST NOT QUIT TRYING! DO WE UNDERSTAND OUR ETERNAL ENEMY HAS MANY TOOLS?
Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16 (MSG) Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!
Ephesians 5:16 (ESV) making the best use of the time, because the days are evil
Is life disappointing when we wake up every day realizing I will never own a Cadillac? No mansions for me? No great TV ministry? No millions of dollars? I will never walk the streets of London or Paris? I will never be a pilot and own my own airplane? I will never achieve my doctorate? I will never be rich or famous? I will never pastor a large church with a big budget? I will have many read my lessons of hard work and time, but I will never be invited?
MINISTRY IS NOT ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE REAPING AND HARVESTING TODAY… LIFE IS MORE ABOUT SEEDS? LIFE IS ALL ABOUT SEEDS? MINISTRY IS ABOUT SEEDS. THE QUESTION IS REALLY NOT ABOUT WHAT DID YOU HARVEST TODAY? THE REAL QUESTION IS WHAT KIND AND HOW MANY SEEDS DID YOU PLANT TODAY? FRUSTRATION AND DEPRESSION HINDERS GROWTH IN OUR GARDEN.
We recently studied how depression and frustration hinders our life style. Come let us consider how our enemy sneaks into daily life and destroys so many. FRUSTRATION and DEPRESSION can be very hazardous to life. HEAVY? What do we do when life gets so heavy and dark? Seems we face dark seasons that blind eternity’s real purpose. These two problems threaten our emotional, mental and spiritual health. COME WITH ME, LET US REASON THE BATTLE OF DEPRESSION AND FRUSTRATION. COMMON? COMMON TO ALL?
Galatians 6: 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
SELDOM DO WE CONSIDER THE POWER OF SEEDS. What a person plants, he will harvest. Will we harvest a crop of weeds? All some have to show for life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God. Will let God's Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life. So let's not allow ourselves to get fatigued in doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don't give up or quit.
NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF A SEED… THE VALUE OF A SEED? EDWARD KIMBALL…
Ecclesiastes 11:1 Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Ecclesiastes 11:1 (MSG) Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns.
In 1858 in Boston there was a young Sunday School teacher named EDWARD KIMBALL. Besides teaching EDWARD had a habit to give his students the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. EDWARD would visit his students. This boy worked at a shoe store. Edward Kimball invested time and teaching into this young boy… TODAY THE WORLD KNOWS HIS STUDENT… DWIGHT L. MOODY, the world renowned evangelist and writerd. The seed was planted by a no body?
MOODY TOUCHED a man named WILBUR CHAPMAN. CHAPMAN TOUCHED A MAN NAMED BILLY SUNDAY… BILLY SUNDAY INFLUENCED MORDECAI HAM TO COME TO CHARLOTTE, N.C.
WE NEVER KNOW WHAT USING OUR PICKUP TRUCK MIGHT DO? THE SEEDS OF A TEACHER CAN BE FAR REACHING…
A SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER HAD A CLASS WITH NO KIDS. The teacher would pray in the classroom. Several young boys started attending… WILLIAM STARTED ATTENDING SUNDAY SCHOOL.
There was a farmer in Allen County, Ky. Named TOBIAS HAM… There was 8 generations in the Ham family that were Baptist preachers. Mordecai Fowler Ham, Jr. was born on April 2, 1877 in Allen County (Scottsville, Ky.) Mordecai says he accepted Jesus as his personal Savior at the age of 8. He felt called to preach at 9 years of age. HAM THANKED HIS SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHERS and the PREACHERS THAT HELPED HIM. Ham pastored BURTON MEMORIAL BAPTIST CHURCH ON CEMETERY ROAD NEAR BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY. He held many revivals especially in Texas.
HAM HELD A TENT REVIVAL IN CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA. A young man attended the revival because he was interested in the young women. A local farmer loaded his pickup truck with his neighbors and brought them to a TENT REVIVAL.
HAM SEEMED TO BE A LOUD PREACHER SHOUTING AND WAVING HIS HANDS… THIS YOUNG BOY, 16, SEEMED TO THINK HAM WAS PREACHING AND POINTING AT HIM. IN NOVEMBER,1934 WILLIAM, (BILLY) GRAHAM accepted Jesus as his Savior.
HAM USED HIS INFLUENCE WITH WILLIAM BELL RILEY TO HELP LAUNCH BILLY GRAHAM TO THE INTERNATIONAL PLATFORM OF EVANGELISM.
Ham died in Louisville November 1, 1961 at the age of 84. HAM NEVER BECAME FAMOUS. But his student is said BILLY GRAHAM PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO MORE PEOPLE THAN ANY OTHER PERSON IN HISTORY.
ONE OF THE GREATEST AND BOLDEST LIES OUR ENEMY WHISPERS IN OUR EARS MIGHT BE: YOU ARE A FAILURE? MY FRIEND, YOU FAILED THE TEST! DON’T QUIT PLANTING SEEDS! DO WE UNDERSTAND OUR ETERNAL ENEMY HAS MANY TOOLS TRYING TO STOP OUR PLANTING?
I do not enjoy saying our enemy’s name. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, Father of Lies, Deceiver. There is nothing new or creative about our enemy. He uses the same TOOLS since the creation of the world. PRIDE, might be the original tool? Sexual sin, perversion, hot tempers---anger and wrath, keep the humans away from the Bible, procrastination, un-forgiveness, loneliness, dysfunctional families, greed, selfishness, hard heartedness, bitterness, hatred, BREAK THE 10 COMMANDMENTS, compromise and many more. BUT HIS JOB IS TO GET US TO NOT PLANT GOOD SEEDS.
WE CAN BREAK EVERY FETTER BY PLANTING GOOD SEEDS…
LET US PLANT SEEDS OF PRAISE, JOY AND FAITH. I once read life is like a rose garden, the more you save roses the more they fade. The more roses you give away to others the happier you will grow.
HAVE YOU EVER STUDIED TO FIND THE ROOT OF YOUR FRUSTRATIONS AND DISCOURAGEMENTS?
REFUSE TO BE BROKEN AND BITTER. THE ONLY CERTAINTY OF LIFE IS UN-CERTAINTY! WE ARE NEVER EXEMPT. LIFE IS BRIEF AND OUR BURDENS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT IS CERTAIN. ASK YOURSELF TO ADJUST YOUR ATTITUDES WHEN YOU COME UP ON TRIALS, STORMS AND TROUBLE… WE MUST KEEP ON PLANTING.
Job 14:1 Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
Job 14:1 (MSG) We're all adrift in the same boat: too few days, too many troubles.
SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO PLANT YOUR OWN GARDEN… ASK DAVID… COME AND GO WITH ME TO ZIGLAG. KNOCKED DOWN? GET UP… SEEK GOD’S PLAN. ONE OF THE GREATEST LESSONS OF DISCOURAGEMENT AND FRUSTRATION IS WE ALWAYS ARE LOOKING TO OTHERS TO PLANT OUR SEEDS FOR US AND TO ENCOURAGE AND PAT US ON THE BACK…
King David has had a great victory after many other great victories. Life is so wonderful. God is so good. The men love their King. David is well respected. The soldiers have many great gifts to give to their families of the spoils of battle.
Then David and his army climbed over the steep hill to see ZIGLAG in the distance. Everyone is singing praises to God and to David. WAIT A MINUTE, IS THAT BLACK SMOKE COMING OUT OF ZIGLAG? The army realized that while they had great victories, the enemy came into the camp. Seems everything was lost? Who cares about the things? Their whole families were taken? No wife? No kids? No material blessings left. The seeds seem hopeless.
1 Samuel 30:4 Then David and the people that were with him lifted up their voice and wept, until they had no more power to weep.
I WILL CRY IF I WANT TO, CRY IF I WANT. The love and respect for the King was gone? David made a great mistake. David never left warriors to protect the HOME FRONT. Great distress came over all the army. David himself was in great distress, he was frustrated and discouraged. No one person stood with King David.
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
POOR KING DAVID, HE STOOD ALONE IN THE MIDDLE OF FRUSTRATION AND GREAT DEPRESSION. WHAT DO I DO? WHAT DO WE DO? David knew he and his men had no real solution to this nightmare. DAVID HAD BEEN IN THIS VALLEY BEFORE. David knew, QUIT CRYING. Sure you have been knocked down, the SECRET IS PRAYER. GET UP AND PRAY. PLANT THE SEEDS.
When you find it hard to pray ---PRAY HARD…
1 Samuel 30:8 And David enquired at the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all.
GOD BRINGS PEACE AND A PLAN, DAVID YOU SHALL OVERTAKE THE ENEMY AND WITHOUT FAIL YOU SHALL RECOVER ALL! HEAR ME … ALL!
DAVID HAD TO LEARN THIS FRUSTRATION AND DISCOURAGEMENT DOES NOT HAVE TO DESTROY US… THERE IS A SOLUTION, DON’T RUN FROM THE ENEMY’S TOOLS… GET UP, GET UP--- PLANT THE SEEDS WISELY. FIND THE LOST ART OF VICTORY --- ENCOURAGE YOURSELF… WHEN YOUR OWN TEAM MEMBERS WHISPER TO DESTROY YOU, ENCOURAGE YOURSELF…
CAN GOD? NO, THE ANSWER IS GOD CAN! Ziglag was a great lesson for King David. Quit depending on others to PLANT YOUR GARDEN OF ENCOURAGEMENT. Encourage yourself. Arise let God scatter the ENEMIES.
WHAT YOU LOVE YOU WILL FIND TIME TO DO. IT IS A DEEP TRUTH WE INVEST TIME TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE LOVE. PLANT WISELY!
We learn to overcome FRUSTRATION and DEPRESSION by planting in the things that GOD LOVES… How many have buried un-developed talents and are like THE TINMAN with Dorothy. They set on the shelf of DO NOTHINGNESS, waiting for the opportunity of advancement and applause? RUSTING ON THE SHELF? How sad?
2 Corinthians 9:10 Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)
CONCLUSION: The seeds of frustration and discouragement thrive in idleness and laziness. Do you have a God plan to pour yourself into planting seeds? Little kids? Old people? Negative, angry words will add to hindering planting. Quit allowing negative gossips to pour their poison into your ears and heart. We must turn our frustrations and depression into the LOVE OF LIFE., WE MUST PLANT SEEDS. Jesus intends us to plant with the new opportunities of each day. Have you buried the dreaming ability? Buried seeds grow new life. Quit crying, my friend, YOU CAN’T COUNT THE SUCCESS OF TODAY BY THE HARVEST BUT BY THE SEEDS YOU PLANT. . Embrace the love of life and imperfect people. Identify the issues that cause us to stop planting good seeds.
Sure we come to the crossroads, is this the end? WILL WE PLANT SEEDS? Is this a new direction? Life is about the things that happen? But often life can focus on the things that do not happen? Quit crying? PLANT GOOD SEEDS WHERE EVER YOU CAN. THE HARVEST WILL COME. Quit running away, face the problem and PLANT THE SEED… see what God can do in you! PLANT THE SEED… DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN.
Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
When I was in the 5th grade, I was supposed to plant corn in the garden. I buried the brown paper bag of many seeds at the edge of the garden. The corn seeds testified against my laziness when they grew. Dad caught me. Dad said if our family starves to death this winter it is your fault. I prayed and asked God to forgive me for not valuing the seeds.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Kyfingers@aol.com (Catch me on YouTube.)
