Many things have a starting point. Foot races have a starting line. Kids experience the first day of school. Books have a first page. Life itself begins on the day of conception and is realized on the day of birth. Faith in Jesus Christ also has a starting point.
There aren’t any Bible-proscribed special words that begin the process of faith in Christ. Some have said something along the lines of the “Sinner’s Prayer.” Some have said something like, “God, if you’re real, I want you.” Others quietly accepted Christ’s claims without even a whisper. In all cases, a seed was planted in their heart.
Peter, an early follower of Jesus, described it this way, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.” (1 Peter 1:23, NIV) If you have turned to Jesus in some manner and invited Him to enter your life, then an imperishable seed of faith has been planted in your heart.
Seeds are small packages of great wonder. They contain in their various shapes and sizes all the information needed to grow according to their kind. Plant a corn seed, and with the right conditions, corn will grow. The seed is good; the key for it to germinate, grow, and mature are the conditions of temperature, moisture, and soil the seed encounters.
Jesus explained it best. He often used short stories called parables to make His point. One such story goes this way, “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.” When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” (Luke 8:5–8, NIV) This parable describes four different outcomes. We won’t walk through the fullness of this story today. We instead want to point out that the seed is the same for each of those outcomes. The difference is the soil conditions encountered.
This lesson and those that follow are intended to encourage the best conditions for the seed of faith in Jesus to germinate, grow, and mature in you. These are not conditions God places on us for acceptance. If you’ve turned to Jesus, then you are already accepted. What follows are things that encourage our growth in Christ.
God’s seed is planted, and it is a good seed. As we continue, we will begin to cultivate, water, and weed the soil of our hearts. Not to gain God’s favor but to grow in our real and personal relationship with Jesus. In our next lesson, we’ll consider and set some concrete expectations of what faith in Jesus is like.
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