REALSample

Doing Our Part

By Robert Morris

When my father was 16 years old, my grandfather (his father) had a job with the department of transportation filling potholes with asphalt. He worked alongside a Christian man named Ray Alexander who shared the gospel with him. One day, Ray invited my grandfather over to his house after dinner to share more about Jesus. As my grandfather walked out the door to meet Ray, my father asked if he could drive him. My grandfather agreed to let him drive but told him he had to wait outside Ray’s house. 

While Ray was sharing the gospel with my grandfather, my dad was sitting outside on the front porch and because there was no air conditioning back then, the door was open and my dad could hear everything. It was the first time my dad ever heard anyone talk about the gospel. At the end of their conversation, Ray asked my grandfather if he wanted to accept Jesus as his Savior, but he said no. Then Ray said, “If you ever decide you want to get saved, pray a prayer like this.” As he recited the prayer, my father prayed along with him and accepted Jesus. Because my father was saved, I grew up in a Christian home where the gospel was planted in my life, and now thousands of people have come to know Jesus through the ministry of Gateway Church. And it all started with one man’s obedience to share the gospel.

This story depicts an amazing kingdom principle: you reap more than you sow. Think about it for a moment. When a farmer plants a single kernel of corn, the kernel will grow into a stalk that will produce hundreds of kernels. 2 Corinthians 9:6 says, “He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” But just before that it says, “He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” It’s amazing to me that people expect to reap a huge harvest of souls when they haven’t planted the seed of the gospel. The truth is, it’s our only job. We share the Good News, and God takes care of the results. Even if you lead just a few people to the Lord over your lifetime, you might never know the impact you’ll have on the kingdom of God.

Several years ago, when my grandfather was very old, I led him to the Lord—45 years after Ray Alexander planted the seed. I called Ray and told him the story about my father accepting Christ that day at his house and about how my grandfather had recently given his life to Jesus. When I finished telling him the story, he said, “I have the name of every person I’ve ever shared the gospel with written down in the back of my Bible. When they get saved, I put a check beside their name. Your grandfather’s name is the only one without a check, but when I get off the phone I’m going to add one.”

God has called each of us to plant the seed, and there are people everywhere who need to hear the gospel. If you ever feel like you’re not qualified to be a witness, remember this story about a man who poured asphalt into potholes and shared the gospel with everyone he met. Because he sowed bountifully, he has reaped bountifully.

I want to challenge you today to share the gospel bountifully. We just need to do our part and let God do the rest.

Prayer

Lord, I want to sow the seed of the gospel as much as possible. Help me to see opportunities to plant seeds in people’s lives, and help me to live a lifestyle of evangelism. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Memory Verse

"This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends." John 15:12–13