Summer is around the corner, and with it the promise of scrumptious juicy tomatoes. My mouth is watering just thinking about it! It’s amazing to think that such a tiny insignificant-looking seed as a tomato has such tremendous potential locked inside.
We too have a tremendous potential within us!
We are each uniquely and wonderfully made, created to do good works. But who am I to think that this little puny rose could do anything worthwhile?
That’s how I used to think. I didn’t see the potential within me—especially when it came to making an eternal difference in God’s Kingdom. I needed to be informed of the truth and my Father Gardener provided it through His Word and numerous people.
Jesus gave us a beautiful word picture about potential in the parable of the sower (Mat 13:3-23). The seed that “fell on good soil…produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” You certainly don’t have to be a gardener to understand this word picture.
A seemingly insignificant tomato seed produces a bountiful crop of delicious fruit if given the right soil conditions, light, water, and nutrients. An acorn, given what it needs, develops into a huge magnificent tree that provides shade, beauty and plenty of food for those crazy squirrels.
There’s such incredible possibility in a very small thing. However, it’s just a possibility, not an actuality. We each have the capability of becoming or producing something greater. It lies dormant inside. We are each designed by God for a specific, beautiful purpose.
For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Eph 2:10 NLT)
My Lord says that I am a unique masterpiece—purposefully and meticulously crafted to fulfill a good and everlasting purpose. I need to believe that—then act on it so I can fulfill the wonderful plans He has for me.
In addition to the Scriptures, the Lord also placed many encouraging people in my life. One was my wonderful husband, who believed in me way before I did. Another was Pastor Marvin and Debbie Patrick. Through the years, they continually told me I could do the things God called me to do. They challenged me, stretched me, loved me, and encouraged me in so many ways. It is largely due to Debbie that I started speaking and teaching. I didn’t recognize my God-given abilities, but she saw my potential and urged me on.
When I began to understand this and the fact that I am empowered by His divine nature to fulfill His purpose, my confidence soared. It is an awesome and overwhelming thought that the eternal, all-powerful One is living inside of me! The potential is staggering.
We each have to accept this vital truth for ourselves and then pass it on. We can choose whether we want to hear, accept, and apply God’s truths to our lives.
“He who has ears [to hear], let him hear and heed My words.” (Matt 13:9 AMP)
“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt 13:23 NIV)
My friends, none of us can make anyone else achieve their potential, but we can try. We can speak encouraging words of truth, we can tell others, “You matter to God and to me. Through Christ you can do this.” We can create an environment of love and acceptance, watering others with words of life, while trusting the Master Gardener to provide everything they need. If only you and I could see ourselves and others in this light, what a difference we could make for His kingdom!
Adapted from A 30-Day Walk through the Master’s Garden, Day 21
Available in paperback, kindle, and pdf formats
Also available in a combined edition with The Master’s Garden (pdf)
Use this coupon code to get 25% off ANY digital resource in our online store:
25%HSWI
\(NIV) The Holy Bible: New International Version®. NIV. ® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
(AMP) Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
(NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.