Grow Where You Are Planted

Zechariah 6:12

And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

One of the great attributes of our Saviour is that He grew up out of his place. In other words, Jesus never used an excuse for why He could not go about doing good despite the place where He grew up. The Scriptures teach us that He came from Nazareth, and someone in the Scriptures asked, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Jesus did not allow where He was planted to stop Him from doing the work that He was sent to do.

You can always use your past as an excuse for being lazy and not serving God, or you can use your past as a tool to help others. Everyone has a past, but only those who choose to do something with their lives are those who choose to grow where they were planted. Let me share some thoughts about the importance of growing where you are planted.

First, God planted you where you were born for a reason. Do you think God made a mistake by giving you the parents you have? Do you think God made a mistake by allowing you to be born in the neighborhood you lived in? Do you think God made a mistake by allowing you to be born into a family with little to no financial means? God knew exactly what He was doing when He allowed you to be born into a family with problems and a lack of finances. You can either let your background from where you were born hinder you from becoming what God wants you to be, or you can take that background and use it to help others with the same background. God planted you where you were for a reason. Find that reason and use it so to be a help to others.

Second, you can't change where you are planted. You can wait to be transplanted from where you are planted, or you can choose to grow from where you are planted. Those who choose to grow where they are planted are those who end up going further in life because they did not waste time waiting for something to change in their life. You can always look for greener grass somewhere else, but you will only find the greener grass you find is likely a field of weeds. Those whom God used the most chose to grow up where they were planted, which is why He used them so greatly.

Many complain about their background, but what they don't understand is that their background is part of the ingredients God wanted to use to make something great out of them. I grew up in a poor home and in a neighborhood that was not one of the best neighborhoods. I grew up in a preacher's home and saw my dad go through six church splits. Instead of letting these be an excuse to get bitter and angry at God, I learned from where I was planted, and it has helped me to be a tool to help scores of people throughout the years of my ministry.

Here is your choice: you can either complain about where you were planted or you can choose to learn what God wants you to learn from it so you can be a help to others. I challenge you to stop letting your past be an excuse and instead learn from it so that you can be a help to others. Your greatest potential will only be found when you choose to learn why you were planted where you were and to grow up from where you were planted. Stop jumping and complaining, and grow up from where you are planted.