So I had this really interesting interaction with a middle schooler this week. She was having trouble figuring out how many times 12 would divide into 60, so I walked her through the multiplication table:
"What is 12 times 2?", "what is 12 times 3?"... "What is 12 times 5?"
Answer: "60!"
"So what is 60 divided by 12?"
Answer: "I can't remember."
How often do we forget how to multiply - even when the answer is right in front of our face.
It seems like since Ronni & I taught on the parable of the sower a few Wednesdays ago, it keeps coming up in my life (see my previous post for an example of that). And one of the parts that is so troublesome to me is what happens with the good soil: "But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." (Luke 4:20 ESV, emphasis mine)
If part of me having a right relationship with God is the multiplication of my life, how do I do that?
Well, I could have a lot of kids...
Check that one off, but is that really what He is talking about?
Maybe it has something more to do with the encouragement that Paul gave Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:2 - "and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also."
I am finding more and more this is the calling for our lives: to build into people who are going to be able to build into others.
Check out this version of a video we used in service last Wednesday.
The young man in the end of this video is a sophomore. He comes to our Wednesday program. And there are some interesting things about this young man. See, he is one that is being built into by older students in whom I've invested. And now I am starting to see this young man start to build into others. And so this week as I saw him taking stands for his faith, it dawned on me: It is working!
And this is just one example of many. I had a moment a while back where I saw my son Ethan being influenced by a group of young men and realized my son is being influenced by those I am influencing and it brought tears to my eyes. This is what building God's Kingdom is about.
So let us look for those opportunities to multiply our lives by investing into the lives of those around us!
2 comments:
"Well, I could have a lot of kids...
Check that one off, but is that really what He is talking about?"
Mark, why are these two separate? Your own personal children and your ministry? I am sure that is not how you meant it to sound, so what did you mean?
"I had a moment a while back where I saw my son Ethan being influenced by a group of young men and realized my son is being influenced by those I am influencing and it brought tears to my eyes."
I don't see the difference I guess? Could you explain what you mean?
Thanks, The Cannon's
Wow. Thank you for pointing out this potential miscommunication. I simply made that statement about having lots of kids for humor's sake since some people tease Shannon & I about having so many kids. In reflecting on it, I would say it is that anyone can have a lot of kids, but what are you going to do with them. In the same way, anyone can draw a crowd but are you really influencing their lives. Thanks for pointing this out, and yes, my own children are most definitely a priority in the scope of "ministry".
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