Christians, recently we were at a farmer’s market and we purchased a cantaloupe and brought it home. It was forgotten about and left in the bag for a few days. I found it later that week and there was some mold on it, the outside was looking really bad. There were a couple of soft spots and some fuzz. At first glance I thought “complete loss” I figured we would just have to throw it out, it is definitely “not good!”
In a moment of divine motivation, I felt to cut into it. I thought that there is no harm in looking inside. So what did I find inside when I cut it open? Perfectly edible, perfectly ripe fruit. It looked good, it smelled good, and it ultimately tasted good, very sweet and refreshing. (Keep in mind I’m very meticulous, and if not led by God, I would have chucked out this melon and not have thought twice about it)
I would have thought the inside was rotten. Now I took very special care when handling the fruit, I did everything I could to not contaminate the clean, good inside fruit with the gross and moldy outside. It took more time and energy, but it was worth the effort not to lose the fruit, because a price had been paid for that fruit. It was salvageable.
Christians, how many time do we look at people, we look at the outside, the words they say, their physical appearance, the things they do, and we believe they are rotten through and through. We must take the time, to see what the fruit is like on the inside. It takes more time, you may have to handle them with care. You may have to work around the things in their life, and you may be able to harvest some edible fruit.
The same price was paid for those “moldy people” in your life, they were bought with the same precious blood at Calvary. We must remind ourselves again the value of one human soul to God. As the world gets darker and darker, and the mold and fuzz on people gets worse and worse, we still need to be looking for salvageable fruit for God.
God calls us to make them disciples. He does not say what form, color, creed, or religion they will come from. Whether smoky, drunk, drugged or homeless or whether tattooed or pierced, painted or scantily clad. We have to look beyond the mold, the filth, the dirt, grease or grime of their situation. There is always HOPE, and always a CHANCE for salvation and a godly life with real fruit, as long as they are still alive. So let’s all take a lesson from God, before we write anyone off, for their outward appearance, we need to ask one important question: “What’s the inside like?” I pray that God give us the strength and grace to do the hard work and harvest the good, ripe fruit for His kingdom, in Jesus name, Amen.
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at the way he looks on the outside or how tall he is, because I have not chosen him. For the Lord does not look at the things man looks at. A man looks at the outside of a person, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 (NLT)
All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the thoughts of the heart. Proverbs 16:2 (NLT)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9 (NIV)
Then [Jesus] said to His disciples, “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37 (NIV)
written and posted by Daniel Poggensee | 2016
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