Start where you are
2021-04-24John 12:24 NLT
Jesus said, ‘Unless a kernel of wheat is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone. But its death will produce many new kernels.’ It’s been estimated that one kernel of wheat will produce a stalk bearing three heads of wheat. In each head there are between 15 and 35 kernels – that means there’s close to 100 kernels per stalk. After they’re planted, these kernels will go on to produce 10,000 kernels. When those are replanted, they’ll produce a million kernels. And if you keep going, you’ll cover the whole earth with wheat!
It’s amazing how quickly a small thing can multiply. And it’s the same with us – we can achieve so much when we commit our lives to Christ and start where we are. D.L. Moody once said, ‘The world has yet to see what God can do through a man who is yielded to him.’ He decided to simply start where he was, and ended up impacting the world for Christ.
When Peter, James, and John met Jesus, their goal in life was to make a living. Then Jesus invited them to follow Him and make a difference. And today He’s inviting each one of us to do the same thing. He’s inviting us to find a need that no one is meeting and allow Him to use us to meet it. He’s asking us to find a cause greater than self-interest, (in other words, His cause) and pour our lives into it.
When Jesus asked the disciples to leave their jobs and their security, He was turning their world upside down. But when they said yes to Him, they became so successful that their enemies accused them of ‘turning the world upside down’ (take a look at Acts 17:6). Today, let’s allow God to use us and turn the word upside down for Him.