The seed

**KenW** · 05-01-2007, 03:27 AM

The Seed....
A successful Christian business man was growing old and knew it was
time to choose a successor to take over the business. Instead of
choosing one of his directors or his children, he decided to do something
different. He called all the young executives in his company together. He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose
one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued."I
am going to give each one of you a SEED today - one very special SEED. I
want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from
today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge
the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO"
One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others,
received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story.
She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Everyday, he
would water it and watch to see if it had grown.
After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk
about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow. Jim kept
checking his seed, but nothing ever grew. Three weeks, four weeks, five
weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants,
but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went
by--still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed.
Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say
anything to his colleagues, however. He just kept watering and fertilizing the soil
He so wanted the seed to grow.
A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company
brought their plants to the CEO for inspection. Jim told his wife that
he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about
what happened. Jim felt sick at his stomach, it was going to be the most
embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right.
He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was
amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They
were beautiful--in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor
and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!
When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young
executives. Jim just tried to hide in the back. "My, what great plants,
trees, and flowers you have grown," said the CEO. "Today one of you will be
appointed the next CEO!"
All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his
empty pot. He ordered the financial director to bring him to the front.
Jim was terrified. He thought, "The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will
have me fired!"
When Jim got to the front,the CEO asked him what had happened to his
seed - Jim told him the story The CEO asked everyone to sit down except
Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, "Behold
your next Chief Executive! His name is Jim!"
Jim couldn't believe it. Jim couldn't even grow his seed. How could he
be the new CEO the others said? Then the CEO said, "One year ago today, I
gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant
it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled
seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow. All of you,
except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that
the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave
you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot
with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief
Executive!"
If you plant honesty, you will reap trust
If you plant goodness, you will reap friends
If you plant humility, you will reap greatness
If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment
If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective
If you plant hard work, you will reap success
If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation
If you plant faith in Christ,you will reap a harvest
So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap
later.

**Jeramie** · 05-01-2007, 08:17 AM

Ah, dont worry about it. We can all just come in here and rattle your chains about messing up.....

Btw, if you want to post it from an email you can typically post that email into word, move margins, etc. to clean it up. Then copy and paste it here.

As long as we are planting seed lets plant some seed (scripture)!

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.