I have this terrible tendency to form on-the-spot judgments.
I don’t always engage with grace and an open mind before instantly staking out a position. I believe that’s what they call “being judgmental.”
A while back we met a young, energetic leader. In the course of our conversation he made what seemed to be a curious statement.
We’re called to make disciples. That’s my primary responsibility. Whether people actually come to Christ or not isn’t my concern, as long as I’m faithful to my call of making disciples.
You tell me—what’s your reaction?
Personally, I bristled at “Whether people actually come to Christ or not isn’t my concern.” It came across as though he didn’t care much about the individuals he was “discipling.”
Then I wrote this post about Farming and listened to Jesus’ words.
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. (Mark 4:26-28)
So…it’s not my job to grow the seeds. I sow, God’s in charge of the sprouting and growing.
I guess I’d still phrase it differently, because I’m really concerned about whether people come to Christ. But I certainly agree that the result is beyond my control.
We do our best to sow the right seeds, and we trust God for the outcome.
And maybe we learn to jump a bit less quickly to that sad place called Premature Conclusions.
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