When You Bring One Person to Christ
A small seed in one hand can spark a harvest in many hearts.
Devotional Credit: In Christ by E. Stanley Jones
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones reminds us that spiritual investments in people far outlast any material pursuit. He draws our attention to Paul’s relationship with Timothy—a man born of mixed heritage, mentored into maturity, and commissioned to carry on the life of Christ. Timothy wasn’t just a disciple; he was spiritual fruit that bore more fruit, evidence of the multiplying life of Christ flowing through a yielded vessel.
Paul’s influence in Timothy’s life became an investment not only in one man, but in generations of believers, as the two epistles written to Timothy continue to guide us to this day. The principle is clear: when we pour into one soul with Christ’s life, we open a floodgate of eternal ripples.
Jones shares a contrast between an oil man and a missionary bishop during World War II. One had invested in oil wells—destroyed in the war. The other had invested in people—resilient, growing, enduring. When storms come, it’s not our assets that remain, but the life of Christ sown into souls.
This is the only investment that cannot break: Christ in you, poured into another, bearing fruit that remains.
✍🏼 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I planted Timothy in Paul’s heart so that My life might multiply through theirs. Paul poured into him, not with mere teaching, but by sharing the very life he had received in Me. In doing so, he passed on not just instruction, but inheritance. That is what I do through those who abide in Me—I give life, and life gives life.
What begins in you is never meant to end with you. The Spirit in you is seed. And the seed bears fruit. Not by your cleverness or influence, but by My indwelling. When you invest in others—not in your image but in Mine—heaven rejoices. Your unseen faithfulness carries My eternal weight.
You do not need to change the world in one grand gesture. Entrust My life into one soul. Speak My words. Walk with them. Love them without condition. I am the One who causes growth. You will not always see the fullness, but you will know the joy of sowing what is incorruptible.
Do not measure your life by what rusts or burns or fades. The smallest act of love in My name endures. The smallest seed, in My hands, becomes a tree of refuge. You carry treasure in this earthen vessel. Let it overflow—not with your effort, but with My life within you.
Scriptures referenced: 1 Corinthians 4:17; 2 Timothy 1:2; Matthew 13:8; John 15:16; 2 Corinthians 4:7
🪙 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like giving someone a single coin—only to find out later they started a ripple of generosity that spanned continents. One simple gift, offered in love, becomes the catalyst for thousands. You didn’t cause the ripple—but you released the coin.
🙏🏼 Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that in Christ, what I offer is never wasted. I rejoice that as I abide in Your Son, Your life flows through me to others—quietly, continually, eternally. I don’t need to measure impact or see results to know You are working. I trust that even one conversation, one word, one moment of love offered in You will bear fruit that I may never see—but You have already appointed. I rest in the joy of being a vessel through whom You touch the world, one soul at a time.