Volunteer Growth

For He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of parched ground...(Isaiah 53:2)

A “volunteer” plant is one that grows in unexpected places. It can grow in a place that seems out of place. It defies any reasonable explanation for being where it is and no one can claim responsibility for its growth. No one can remember planting it. No one can say they watered it. It just seemed to be there one day. A dictionary’s definition of volunteer is “...one who does or gives of their own free will”. In other words, a volunteer is someone who chooses to give of themselves. In both senses of these meanings, Jesus was a true volunteer.
In a very painful time in my life, I was searching for my place. It seemed that I just didn’t fit in this world and wondered if I should even be here at all. I searched for meaning and purpose that was elusive. I felt like I didn’t fit in. In short, I felt like a loner. It is not a pleasant thing to feel alone. Even in a crowd, even with my family, I felt isolated. Sin is a great isolator. It divides and secludes and makes you think you have no purpose. If you are feeling alone today, there is no reason to suffer alone. Jesus comes to your loneliness with a message of love.
We can know we have a place with God. Jesus came to make sure that your life had a purpose. You were worth the price of His birth and His death. The scripture before us says that He came to a place that was out of place. Jesus was a volunteer plant. Sent from heaven to earth, born to die, and to break the bondage of sin. We no longer have to feel alone. We can belong to God.

GOD’S WORD CAN GROW WHERE NOTHING HAS GROWN BEFORE.

I. VOLUNTEER GROWTH IS A SEED PLANTED IN UNTILLED SOIL. It can be airborne. A seed can be placed by a gentle wind or a violent storm. The seed can be carried by a bird or some other life form from one place to another. People can even unwittingly carry seeds themselves. Turbulent times in our lives can be opportunities for God’s love to be planted. We can be a witness of God’s love when we carry God’s love. Sometimes without realizing it, God’s love is shown and sown.
II. NO GROUND IS TOO INHOSPITABLE TO THE SEED OF THE GOSPEL. Even if the ground is very hard, seeds can penetrate the smallest crack. The ground can be very dry and the seed can be watered by the rains that fall. Life is hard and dry. But when the gospel seed is planted, tended by God, it will grow.
III. GOD’S WORD CAN GROW WHERE NO ONE EVER EXPECTED. It will be obvious and conspicuous. It will stand out and cause people to wonder. Our lives will testify about the “root out of parched ground”. Love can abound where none existed before. God’s word is our purpose that has been planted. God’s word banishes the misery of loneliness. God’s word puts an end to the waste of aimlessness.
Are you one of those whom God has planted? Then you have a story to tell.