"Fruit With Seeds" (#3851)
A WORD WITH YOU By Ron Hutchcraft #3851 - "Fruit With Seeds" Genesis 1:29 Listen with RealAudio! http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/sounds/awwy/awwy3851.ram OK, let's put away all the junk food snacks for a minute - and let's reach for a healthy snack today. Yes, it's time for some fresh fruit. Oh, I don't care, it could be an apple, an orange, a pear - but the next time you eat one, would you look for the example on the inside? I wouldn't recommend you eat the entire apple - you'll probably want to stop when you get to the core. But notice what's there in the middle of that apple - yes, the seeds that can make another apple! Well, I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A WORD WITH YOU today about "Fruit With Seeds." That little encounter with the inside of a piece of fruit can actually take us all the way back to the first fruit that God ever made - and to a powerful example of some of what gives our lives real meaning. It's in Genesis 1:29, our word for today from the Word of God, and the Lord told Adam and Eve this, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it." Now, as I was reading that the other day, it really struck me that God has created things with the seeds of reproducing themselves built in. When God created man and woman, He told them to "be fruitful and increase in number." (Genesis 1:28) But that principle of fruit carrying the seeds of the next generation goes beyond just physical reproducing. Jesus said to His followers, "I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit - fruit that will last." And certainly that fruit includes people who will come to Jesus because of you. They are fruit that your life is supposed to be producing. How you doin'? The great creative plan of God is that when He creates a life, He creates it with the potential of reproducing life like itself. "Fruit with seed in it." The moment you gave your heart to Jesus Christ, God made you fruit with seeds - with the capability and the purpose of making some more like you! Apples generate apples ... oranges generate oranges ... and followers of Jesus generate other followers of Jesus - or at least they're supposed to. But research shows that only an estimated 10% of believers ever tell someone about their relationship with Jesus Christ. Which means 9 out of 10 believers is missing their destiny - they have the seeds of life to plant in another heart, but they're doing nothing with those seeds. And people around us go on dying without Christ, and without any hope of heaven. Isn't it time you starting bearing some fruit - like people who will be in heaven because you helped them know how? And God's plan is that we reproduce our own kind. That Moms introduce other Moms to Jesus ... that students introduce other students to Jesus ... that golfers point golfers to Christ ... businesspeople reach other businesspeople ... wounded people lead other wounded people to the Savior. God has made you who you are, He's placed you where you are so you can take people like you to heaven with you! How are you doing with your divine assignment? We're not talking here about you adding some new activities to your already over-stuffed life. We're talking about using things you already do to bring other people who do them to Jesus. You already live where you live ... you go to school where you go to school ... you work where you work ... you play where you play. Just go there with the conscious mission of taking some of those people to heaven with you! There are seeds of spiritual life that God planted in you the day you met Jesus. And He's counting on you planting those seeds in the people like you. Their eternity depends on it. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's "A Word With You Challenge" is based on Ron Hutchcraft's life book, "Called to Greatness: Becoming a Lifeline For Those Who Need Hope." (Moody Press) To find out more, visit: http://www.calledtogreatness.com Discuss today's "A Word With You," post your comments, or encourage others in our new discussion forum! http://forums.gospelcom.net/view/rhm/awwy If you have been encouraged by Ron Hutchcraft's daily challenge, please forward this email along to a friend! To find out how you can begin a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, please visit YOURS FOR LIFE: HOW TO HAVE LIFE'S MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIP at: http://www.gospelcom.net/cgi-bin/bounce?b=871 Or, call 1-888-NEED HIM. "A Word With You" by Ron Hutchcraft is a daily radio challenge, with slice-of-life illustrations and insights - providing practical help on the issues that matter most. If your local Christian radio station does not air "A Word With You," please let them know how much you value this program. Over five years of transcripts are available online, at http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/awwy/awwymenu.htm Ron Hutchcraft Ministries is a member of the Gospel Communications Network - http://www.gospelcom.net "A Word With You" is a production of: Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Or, http://www.gospelcom.net/rhm/ Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft. Permission to distribute this material via email, or individual copies, is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes, and will not be sold. To reproduce "A Word With You" transcripts in any other format, including Internet websites, written permission is needed from Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Copyright (c) 2001, Ron Hutchcraft. Reprinted with permission. "A Word With You" is a radio outreach of Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. 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