I
sow one corn seed—I reap hundreds of corn seeds. I sow a packet of tiny lettuce
seeds—I reap enough lettuce to feed my Sioux Falls relatives (and the Sioux
Falls relatives of Peter Rabbit!) Similarly, a Flemish scientist planted a
sapling willow tree in 200 pounds of soil. For the next five years he added
only water to the soil. At the end of the experiment he weighed the tree (169
pounds) and the soil (199 pounds, 14 oz.). 2 ounces of soil had produced 169
pounds of tree!
Jesus
took his disciples’ meager plantings and produced an astonishing crop, feeding 5000
people with five loaves of bread and two fish. When everyone had eaten their
fill, the disciples gathered 12 baskets of leftovers! (One basket for each of his “we-don’t-have-enough-to-feed-them”
disciples?)
I have seen God repeatedly produce the same geometric explosion
in my students. If God wasn’t involved in my classes, my highest praise might
be: "Nice class." Or, "A pleasant way to spend Saturday
mornings." But one woman wrote:
My marriage has been hanging by
a thread. This course came at such a crucial time. It gave me the strength to
hang on to this marriage by looking to His word. I have found verses that spoke
to me, giving me direction when I felt lost.
She attended a marriage and family class? No. It was Introduction
to the Bible! When God wants to transform a life he isn't limited by the
syllabus! Another student who was "quite nervous" about taking a
theology class because of his lack of Biblical knowledge, wrote:
I had never attempted to read
and truly understand the Bible. Yet, after diving heart first into it, I found
that what I had feared was not to be found. Not only did I comprehend the
readings, but more importantly, I was able to apply the concepts in my life.
This is so amazing to me! Something that was written thousands of years before
my time remains so true to life today. I feel as if there is a whole new world
to discover.
And many of these students quickly become seed-planters
themselves: "I must find a church and get my children involved in Sunday
School. I would even like to be a Sunday School teacher! (Boy, I never thought
I'd say that!) I have read some Bible verses to my family and I find that it is
a wonderful feeling to spread God's word."
When
the apostle Paul found people taking sides between him and Apollos, he bristled:
What after all is Apollos? And what is
Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe . . . I planted the seed,
Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. (I Cor.3:5-7) The marvel of my
students’ growth has little to do with the small seeds that I plant. It is
humbling, and often exhilarating, to watch God multiply my 2 ounces of effort
into 169 pounds of heavenly fruit. I love God's math!
What
seeds is God asking you to plant? Beginning a morning Bible study with
co-workers? Reaching out to an aging, bitter neighbor? Joining a mission trip
to an Indian reservation? Take a risk! Watch the all-powerful Mathema-tician
work His wonders!
