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Let's Be Careful What We Plant

The story is told of a successful Christian businessman who was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over his business. Instead of choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company to the board room and he told them, “It’s time for me to step down and choose the next CEO, and I have decided to choose one of you. “The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. “I am going to give each one of you a seed today — one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO”

One of the young executives, whose name was Jim, received a seed just like the rest. He went home and excitedly told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost, and he planted the seed. Everyday, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — and still nothing in Jim’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn’t say anything to his colleagues — he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil — he so much wanted his seed to grow.

A year finally passed by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that he wasn’t going to take an empty pot, but she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt so sick at his stomach — it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were so beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him.

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives. Jim tried to hide in the back of the room. The CEO said, “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you’ve grown! Today, one of you will be appointed the next CEO of my company.” All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I’m a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!” When Jim arrived at the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed — and Jim told him the truth of the matter.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold, your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!” Jim couldn’t believe it! Jim couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new CEO, the others said? Then the CEO spoke and said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds — they were dead — it was not possible for them to grow. All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive!”

Some biblical teachings regarding the planting of various kinds of seeds are:

• If we plant honesty, we will reap trust (1 Peter 2:12).
• If we plant goodness, we will reap friends (Romans 15:14).
• If we plant humility, we will reap greatness (Matthew 18:1-4).
• If we plant perseverance, we will reap contentment (Luke 18:1-8; cf. 1 Timothy 6:6).
• If we plant consideration, we will reap perspective (Proverbs 6:6-11).
• If we plant hard work, honor God and His word, we will reap success (Ecclesiastes 9:10; Joshua 1:1-9).
• If we plant forgiveness, we will reap reconciliation (Matthew 6:14-15; Colossians 3:12-13; cf. Romans 5:10).
• If we plant the seed of God’s word without substitution, it will produce a great harvest of souls (Luke 8:11; 1 Corinthians 3:6-7; cf. Gal. 1:6-9; Matthew 9:37; Luke 10:2; John 4:35).
• If we plant faith in Christ and are faithful, we will reap a great harvest and reward (1 Corinthians 3:5-9; 1 Corinthians 15:58; Gal. 6:9; Luke 6:22-23; 1 Peter 1:3-4; Revelation 2:10).

Brethren and friends, let’s be careful what we plant, for it will determine what we will reap later (Gal. 6:7; cf. Romans 2:6-10; 2 Corinthians 9:6).