Bullets Or Seeds

From: The Word For Today - Bob Gass Ministries

Isaiah 50:4 "The Lord God has given me His words of wisdom so that I may know what I should say."

Richard Halverson writes, "You can offer your ideas to others as bullets or as seeds. You can shoot them or sow them. Ideas used as bullets will kill inspiration and motivation. Ideas used as seeds will take root, grow and bear fruit in the life in which they are planted. But there's a risk; once it becomes part of those in whom it's planted, you probably will get no credit for originating the idea. But if you're willing to do without the credit… you'll reap a rich harvest."

Consider these two things:

(1) Good ideas are wasted when you use a 'ram-it-down-your-throat' approach. You've got to learn how to say the right thing, the right way. Solomon writes, "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered" (Proverbs 17:27). To get the job done, you must have the right answer - and the right attitude.

(2) Your efforts at helping others to change will fail, or worse, alienate them, if you don't approach them in love and humility. Most people already know what their problem is; they've been dealing with it long enough. And deep down they want to do better. But unless you want a 'who-are-you-to-tell-me?' response, you've got to approach them the right way.

"Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (Proverbs 16:24). The truth will always set people free. But if they refuse to listen to the truth in the way you're sharing it, maybe the problem's not theirs - it's yours. Maybe you're firing bullets instead of planting seeds.