Seeds of Faith

How many people have come and gone from your life?  I suspect if you are anywhere near my age it is several thousands.  There are some people that we meet once and never see again, some people who are in our lives for an extended period of time and then are gone, a few who are in our lives for the long haul.  We have people who teach us things, people who pour into our lives, people who say something that sticks with us but have no other impact on our lives and people whose impact they will never know.

Consider all the people who have not only made an impact on your life but have made an impact on your faith.

There are the preachers who have taught you from the pulpit and from their lives that God should be first and foremost in your life.  Through out my life I had one pastor who helped me be comfortable coming back to church and hearing about the truths of the bible and the Lord in a way that was non confrontational and safe.  He helped me come back to the Lord and begin to understand that God was more than just a moral guideline for my life.  I had another pastor who showed me the power of prayer and the importance of a relationship with the Lord that was more than asking for things and reading His word.  I had yet another pastor who showed me the importance of studying the Word in a systematical way and discipling others as I grow in my faith for the benefit of God's kingdom not for the benefit of me.

I had friends who shared their lives with me and helped me see how to walk in obedience to the Lord.  I had one friend who shared her faith with me in casual conversation and was confident in her faith and able to answer questions that I had that allowed me a safe place to question the faith that I thought I knew.  I had a friend that allowed me to walk with her through tough times showing me what it was to rely on the Lord for strength and wisdom and to listen for the Lord expectantly and obediently.  I had a friend that showed me what it looked like to be humble in spirit and have a servants heart.  Another friend who challenged my beliefs and what I thought I knew and helped me desire to learn more about what I believed.

I have had bible studies that have helped me to understand God's word, helped me to come to God expecting to encounter Him, helped me to learn to pray without making God out to be Kris Kringle.  I  was blessed with prayer partners, women and couples in my bible study who have shared their wisdom, walking buddies who loved the Lord and shared their walk with me.  

I have been blessed as God has put other godly people in my path, planned my steps, and gave me God ordained encounters that have helped me to grow in my faith and in my walk with the Lord.  I wanted to capture some of those "seeds" that have helped to grow me in a scrapbook page so I created the page below.

Take some time to consider who has made an impact on your faith and who you are helping to grow in their faith.  Consider this.....  If I have had twenty or thirty people who have impacted my faith by helping me grow in some way (I'm sure there are more) than how selfish would it be for me to sit back and not take the time to disciple someone else or share God's love with others on my pathway.

God desires us to share his love and wisdom to grow His kingdom.  It is the great commission!!!

Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.