Now that I am retired, I am able to read and study the Bible more than ever. I love that but I am always looking for the opportunity to talk about my faith with those I encounter. This broken world really needs more of our Savior’s message of hope and love.

Our pastor reminded me that I need to reach out more with the message of the gospel. He preached on the parable of the sower and although it is very familiar passage, his perspective was not. The focus of the message was not on the seed but on the sower.

Jesus gave his message to anyone who wanted to listen anywhere. The message was received by some and it changed them, others believed for a while and the message didn’t take root. That didn’t stop him from reaching out and sowing the message to everyone he came in contact with.

We are  also called be sowers of the seeds of the gospel. Most of the time I focused on just trying to be an example through my actions and life. The thought of sowing the seed has me really thinking differently. It doesn’t mean that I should be complacent and do it at church either. It is easy to speak to fellow Christians about Jesus.

We don’t know how long our life will be and can’t wait for a convenient time to do what the Bible tells us to do. We can’t control what kind of soil the message of love and our Savior lands on, but that shouldn’t stop us from continually sowing. We have to go outside the church to do this. The point is to keep sowing and let the Holy Spirit do the rest.

Studying 2 Timothy with Beth Moore (Entrusted) has had me looking at the times we are in. The Bible talks about the signs of the end times. We have a very self-absorbed and troubled society desperately in need of our Savior and his message. People turn to all kinds of addictive things trying to fill the void that only Jesus can fill.

My plan is to get sowing those seeds and to look for more opportunities to spread the gospel to others. How about you? All Christians have been called to do to followers of the great teacher. Lives depend on you. You will never know the impact of how sowing just one seed can reach out to many others. I remember a movie called Pay it Forward. The premise was that if someone did you a big favor, you pay it forward to three more. Didn’t Jesus do us the BIGGEST favor anyone could do when he died for our sins so we could be restored to our relationship with God? Pass it on! Sow those seeds!