Too Many To Count
1
Luke 6:38 (NLT)
If you give, you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full
measure, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, and
running over. Whatever measure you use in giving—large or small—it will
be used to measure what is given back to you."
For this
"city-boy", growing food was a mystery better left to the equally
mysterious class of people called farmers. It never occurred to me that
maybe I could join this special of class of "food growers" by planting a
garden in my back yard until I noticed a barren square of my neighbor’s
yard. It had been cleared of all grass and vines and various other
growing "whatnots" that I regularly mow down in my yard. I watched
carefully to see if my neighbor was trying to grow something.
Low and
behold after a few weeks of watering and care, strange green things
began to emerge from the ground. They grew taller and began to sprout
pitifully small flowers that you would not even give to a child. "What
a bust", I thought. That is why such things are better left to
farmers...no "green thumb" for us city folks to make things grow.
As the
weeks continued I saw the miracle...little green things that looked like
tiny vegetables growing where the flowers were...food! And it was
growing in my neighbor’s back yard! "Man, I got to try this." If my
neighbor could do it, maybe I could, too! Off to the
Home Depot, garden section,
to buy four pepper plants. I was going to be part of a miracle by
eating the "food of my very own labor."
After
weeks of care and watering of my "mini-square" of a garden, the first
fruits came forth....six peppers, and two of them were already on one of
the plants when I bought them, one plant had no peppers, and some
phantom garden thief stole one of my biggest peppers! Not quite a
"bust", but not very much to brag about...a lot of care and pitifully
little fruit. However, I continued to water the pepper plants because I
could not bear to see them die at the hand of my neglect. Maybe they
would survive the mild winter here in GA and produce another six
peppers...big deal.
Low and
behold, four weeks later, all four plants "exploded" with those "pitiful
little flowers." Another week later, PEPPERS!! So many peppers, they
were too many to count. I was now part of that special group of people
that can bear fruit you can eat. All because I was faithful with my
pepper plants, even when they did so little the first time around, I
experienced the miracle. I was faithful with a little and it grew
too many to count.
Jesus
promised he would measure back what we would give and the measure we
receive back would be "too many to count." But, he did not say it would
be easy or immediate. It might even be disappointing for a season.
Later on, however, it would produce an “abundance,” if we would be
faithful to His promise with the little measure he gave us at first.
Be
faithful with what ever He gives you.
You can
learn a lot from a pepper! 
Matthew 25:19, 29a(NLT)
"After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them
to give an account of how they had used his money...To those who use
well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an
abundance.
by Pastor John
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