Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”
Our Bible verse for today: “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. The one who loves his life will lose it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” John 12:24-25 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “God accomplishes a lot with a little.”
Dwight was a big, awkward, poorly educated farm boy. He had outgrown his homemade clothes but his parents were too poor to provide him with a new set. And so, on his first day in a Sunday school class, surrounded by boys and girls who were smarter, better dressed, and much surer of themselves, Dwight felt out of place and insecure.
Fortunately the Sunday school teacher reached out to him, made him feel welcomed and comfortable, and eventually led the boy to faith in Christ. Years later, as a young man, he heard a preacher proclaim the words, “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to Him.”
That young man was D.L. Moody. He was deeply impacted by those words and took them as a personal challenge. He determined to try to be that man. Long story short, that poor, awkward, uneducated farm boy went on to become the greatest evangelist of his generation, the Billy Graham of his day.
God accomplishes a lot with a little. That seems to be a rule of thumb in the kingdom of God and we see it played out over and over again, in big ways and in small.
That’s what Jesus was talking about in John 12:24-25. When a tiny seed of wheat falls to the ground it dies. But then, buried in the soil, it germinates and produces new life – an entire abundant crop of wheat from that one little seed.
That was a parable about His death and resurrection. Jesus was close to the time He would die. But as a result of His life, death, and resurrection there would eventually be millions upon millions of Holy Spirit empowered disciples who would go on to change the world in His Name.
We see this same principle at work in families. A godly parent or grandparent, often a simple man or woman, often with little formal education but with a deep and powerful faith, lives a life that profoundly impacts their entire family line for generations. The end result is children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and even extended family members who have deep and meaningful faith of their own.
The principle Jesus was explaining in the passage above is the same point D.L. Moody was so challenged by. When a disciple of Jesus puts aside selfishness and self-seeking goals, and focuses instead on Christ and His kingdom, there is no end to what God can and will accomplish in and with and through that person. Maybe those things will be big accomplishments like with D.L. Moody and Billy Graham, but more than likely it will be smaller, everyday things, such as the influence a godly mother or grandmother ultimately has on a long line of family members.
God accomplishes a lot with a little. He will do it with your life too if you will surrender your life to Him to be used for His purposes.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 