Tuesday

I am in the process of visits and preparing for confirmation as well as the sermon. I will be preaching from Luke 14:25-33. In my Wesley Study Bible the summary is the cost of discipleship. I have been preaching on themes of being a disciple and what that means in real life situations. This passage is one of those passages that seems harsh and yet is important if we are serious about being a disciple. The focus is on to what is our loyalty. As I was working on this, I was reading in Homiletics about a particular cathedral being built in Spain that took over 125 years to build and still is not complete. They are going to have their first mass coming up. What struck me initially was that often what we do for Christ we may never realize. This was an illustration that was given regarding this.

Clark and Mason were sitting in the break room talking about business strategies for their small company. Mason, ever the worrier, was expressing his frustrations over how “quick success” seemed to be eluding them. Mason said to Clark, “I can’t see any evidence of our hard work. It seems like everything that we have done has been to no avail.”

Clark, a more seasoned businessperson, sat listening to his business partner, while peeling a big red apple. He understood Mason’s frustration. Early in his business career, Clark had similar feelings and often gave up on his goals prematurely because he did not believe in himself. Fortunately, Clark gained understanding of the need for belief and patience.

Holding up the apple he was peeling, Clark said to Mason, “See this apple, Mason. When I cut it in half, we can count the number of seeds in it.” Clark cut the apple in half and noted the number of seeds in the core of the apple. He held up one seed for Mason to see. “However,” Clark continued, “we cannot count the number of apples in one seed.” Mason looked at Clark as he momentarily struggled to understand how Clark’s example related to his concerns.

Clark continued, “We cannot know how many ‘trees’ will grow and bear fruit from our efforts thus far. Now is the time to assume that our seed will bear fruit, to see the orchard filled with trees loaded with apples, which have been fertilized with belief and confidence, and watered with enthusiasm. We must be careful not to allow the weeds of negativity and doubt to strangle the new plants as they struggle to grow into fruit-bearing trees.”

—M. Peer Mohamed Sardhar, “How many apples are in one apple seed?” Improving Organizations Web Site. citehr.com.

So if you ever wonder about what we do and begin to doubt our efforts remember that if we continue to have faith and confidence and continue with our enthusiasm for Christ, there will be a rich harvest to come. Don't let the weeds of negativity hamper you in your life.