I heard a story once about a farmer who hired a young man to run a tractor, cultivating his corn field. The farmer helped the young man get the tractor serviced and hooked up to the cultivator. the farmer then helped the young man adjust the plows and he gave him strict instructions to take his time and be very careful as he cultivated the field to not damage the growing corn crop.
As the young man began to plow he paid no attention to the instructions of the farmer. He was easily distracted and carelessly allowed the cultivating plows to get into the rows of growing corn.
After a couple of hours the farmer came to check on the young man and as you can imagine was terribly upset to see that the young man had plowed up much of the crop that the farmer had worked so hard to plant. Did you know that this same thing can happen in the Lord’s kingdom?
We sow the seed of the kingdom, the Word of God, bringing new converts to Christ and bringing our children up in the teaching of the Lord. Yet, when we live our lives carelessly and we allow things to distract us from our service and commitment to Christ, we are plowing up what we are planting. When our children and those young in the faith see us as older Christians teaching one thing and living another, we are plowing up what we are planting.
Jesus warns his disciples in Matthew 18:6-7, “…But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come!”
-Wendell Ingram
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