"Look at all the pumpkins!" Tanner exclaimed, excited to help Aunt Carolyn harvest her pumpkin patch. Orange pumpkins dotted the ground of the huge field.
Aunt Carolyn smiled. "Do you know each pumpkin has five hundred seeds inside?"
"No, but I know pumpkin pie tastes good," Tanner said.
Aunt Carolyn tousled his hair then carefully stepped into the field, making sure she placed her feet in powdery dirt and not on the plants.
Tanner lifted his leg high to avoid stepping on the vine. He stopped by a raised mound of dirt. "What's this?"
"This is where I planted the seed that grew into the pumpkin plant."
"One seed?" Tanner scrunched his face. "One seed made all these vines?" Several vines with large, dark green leaves shot out from the main plant like octopus tentacles stretching and curling across the field. "But there are several pumpkins on each vine!"
"One seed can produce a lot of fruit." Aunt Carolyn patted his shoulder. "After you pick the pumpkins, carry them over to the fence."
"Okay." Tanner plucked a small pumpkin from the plant, then a larger one. As he carried them to the fence, his foot tangled in a vine. He placed the pumpkins on the ground and carefully unwound the plant from his ankle. Once he was free, he gently worked the twisted vine into a straight line, plucking the ripe fruit from it as he went. When he finished, the vine stretched to the fence where Aunt Carolyn stood watching him. "I harvested eight pumpkins from this one runner!" Tanner exclaimed.
"It was a good vine." Aunt Carolyn set down a pumpkin. "It reminds me of Jesus. He provides us with spiritual nourishment, just like a healthy vine helps a pumpkin grow."
Tanner smiled and wiped his brow. "We learned in Sunday school that if we trust in Jesus, we can show His love to others and tell them about Him. Then they may decide to trust in Him too!"
"Right!" said Aunt Carolyn. "By sharing the good news of Jesus, we can bear good fruit just like these pumpkin vines. Planting the seeds of God's love helps others know and follow Him!"
-Rose Ross Zediker
HOW ABOUT YOU?
Are you bearing good fruit for Jesus? If you know Him as your Savior, He nourishes you spiritually and helps you grow so you can share His love with others. Let Him nourish you as you study the Bible, go to church, and pray. Trust Him to help you love others through your daily thoughts and actions. As you bear His good fruit in your life, you’ll be helping God’s kingdom grow!
TODAY'S KEY VERSE: Galatians 6:9 (KJV)
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (NIV)