You Had One Job . . .

Summary

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The Wake-Up Call — “You Had One Job...”

Host: John David Walt (Seedbed)
Date: March 24, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode of The Wake-Up Call, John David Walt centers the reflection on 1 Corinthians 3:6, exploring the metaphor of sowing, watering, and growth in the Christian life. The main theme is our singular, critical responsibility as believers: to plant the seed of God’s word daily in our lives and in those around us, trusting God with the supernatural work of growth. Walt invites the community to re-orient their efforts away from striving and into faithful sowing, highlighting the collaborative roles of God, His Word, and the Holy Spirit in transforming lives.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Growth in the Christian Life: Who Does What?

• Walt opens by reflecting on transitions and growth, both at Seedbed and in personal faith.
• Scripture Focus:
  • “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:6 | [02:20])
  • The Bible is intrinsically about growth—“Every book, every letter, every story in one way or another is about growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ.” [02:45]
• Main insight:
  • Growth is God’s domain; our work is to sow (“We do not make things grow. We cannot make ourselves grow.” [03:33])
  • Referencing Mark 4: Jesus’ parable of seed grown in secret underscores that growth is often unseen and beyond human control.

2. Our One Job: Planting the Word

• Walt clarifies: “Our part is to plant the word of God in the soil of our lives.” ([05:15])
  • The seed is explicitly named as the Word of God (Luke 8:11).
  • Echoes Maxie’s daily affirmation: “Every day he plants the seed of this Word of God in the soil of his life.” ([06:10])
  • Recalls Colossians 1:27—“the secret is... Christ in you.”
• Practical Questions:
  • “What word of God are you planting in the soil of your life these days?” ([06:50])
  • “What seeds of Scripture are you scattering across the field of your soul?” ([07:00])
• Quote:
  • “Here's what we don't want to hear Jesus say: ‘You had one job.’” ([07:30])
  • “Whatever word you are planting, that word is prospering. It is growing the very goodness of God in your soul.” ([07:50])

3. Letting the Word Take Root: Practices and Testimonies

• Walt shares his daily practice:
  • Recites James 3:17 each morning—“the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peace, loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” ([09:10])
  • Revisits previous years' focus verses, like Isaiah’s “forget the former things… behold, I am doing a new thing.” ([09:43])
  • “All day long, I'm trying to just keep saying God's word… sowing that word in the soil of my own mind and heart.” ([10:25])
• Cites the Beatitudes as ongoing confessions over his children and youth group ([10:38]).
• Core Message:
  • “We've got nothing better to do than speak God’s word over our own lives, sowing that word in the soil of our own minds and hearts. Guys, this word is productive. It is powerful. It never returns to God void.” ([11:05])

4. The Role of the Spirit and the Power of Daily Affirmation

• Emphasizes the Spirit’s partnership:
  • “The seed is the Word of God. The water is the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. And it is by Word and Spirit that Jesus transforms us.” ([12:20])
  • Not about “trying harder,” but about “just taking in the seed, planting it, sowing it.” ([12:30])
• Personal Testimony:
  • Shares an internal dialogue in the shower: “John David, you’re my son, you’re my beloved. With you I am well pleased.” ([13:50])
  • Invites listeners to actively renounce despair and choose joy: “You have broken the yoke of sadness… Don't be afraid of joy.” ([14:35])

5. Musical Meditation: “I Rejoice in the Lord”

• Walt introduces and sings a personal worship song:
  • Lyrics:
    • “I rejoice, I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice in you. It’s my choice to rejoice in you, Lord.” ([15:15]–[16:15])
  • Shares how repeated singing shifts his spirit—“the more I sing it, the more I mean it, and the more it becomes.” ([16:25])
  • Visualizes spiritual freedom: “the chains of despair and the relics of sadness are just laying on the ground.” ([16:45])

6. Applying the Teaching: Breaking Negative Patterns

• Honest about the tendency to “worry [his] prayers” ([17:30]), contrasting anxious, repetitive prayer with the power of speaking and responding to God’s word.
• Encourages transforming inner narratives: “I renounce despair because you have broken the yoke of sadness.” ([14:29])

7. Community & Practical Next Steps

• Walt plugs opportunities to participate and sow into others:
  • Facebook group: “just full of love… I'd love to hear how you do this every day.” ([13:25])
  • Promotion for the upcoming “Unpuzzled” Easter series and workbook: buy one, sow one for a friend—“If you’ll buy one, I’ll buy you one.” ([18:00])
  • Invitation to pastors and ‘super sowers’ to join field teams and spread resources in their communities. ([20:45])
• Closing encouragement:
  • “We’ve got the cure. We’ve got the solution. It’s on us now to sow it. It’ll be on Jesus to grow it.” ([21:20])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “We do not make things grow. We cannot make ourselves grow.” — John David Walt ([03:33])
• “Our job is to plant the seed of God’s Word in our lives every single day.” ([07:10])
• “Whatever word you are planting, that word is prospering. It is growing the very goodness of God in your soul.” ([07:50])
• “We got nothing better to do than speak God’s word over our own lives, sowing that word in the soil of our own minds and hearts.” ([11:04])
• “The seed is the Word of God. The water is the Spirit of God… and that is a requirement. That was our one job.” ([12:20])
• “The more I sing it, the more I mean it. And the more I mean it, the more it becomes. It just fills my spirit. And I look down on the ground and the chains of despair and the relics of sadness are just laying on the ground.” ([16:20])
• “It's on us now to sow it. It'll be on Jesus to grow it.” ([21:18])

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Important Timestamps & Segments

• Opening Reflection - Growth Metaphor: [00:00–03:30]
• Scripture Foundation & Distinct Roles: [03:30–06:50]
• Our Job: Planting the Word: [06:50–07:50]
• Daily Practice & Affirmation: [09:09–11:50]
• Role of the Holy Spirit: [12:20–13:30]
• Renouncing Despair & Choosing Joy: [13:50–15:00]
• Musical Moment — "I Rejoice" Song: [15:15–16:15]
• Encouragement & Breaking Patterns: [16:20–18:00]
• Community Invitations & Resources: [18:01–21:18]
• Final Blessing: [21:18–21:35]

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Further Reflection & Application

Journal Prompts (from episode):

• Have you ever considered that no matter how technologically advanced the world gets, it still can't make a seed grow?
• The soil matters, but the secret is in the seed. How does this increase your confidence in the Word of God?

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Summary

Walt’s warm, practical encouragement reminds listeners that spiritual growth is both simpler and more powerful than our striving: sow the Word faithfully and trust God’s process. Through song, testimony, and direct application, the episode calls for daily, intentional planting of Scripture, openness to the Spirit, and engagement with others as “sowers.” The central message is clear: You had one job—plant the seed. God will cause the growth.

Transcript

[A]

Foreign. Good morning, Sower Nation. It is Tuesday. It's March 24, 2026. I'm John David Walt. This is your wake up call. Well, let's dive into consecration. It is Tuesday. That does mean tacos. I'm looking forward to that. I'm in Franklin, Tennessee this week with our farm team and invite you all to pray with us and for us. We got a lot going on at Seedbed. We're in a, I don't know, maybe we might call it an extreme home makeover. You remember that show? It's going to be good. It's not going to shock your. It's not massive change. But we're, we're just, I think we're growing and I think we're, we're looking ahead and realizing that what got us here won't get us there. Same is true in our lives, isn't it? And granted, Jesus will get us there. He got us here. But it's going to take more of Jesus, actually, it's going to take more of us opening up to more of him. So wake up, sleeper. Rise from the dead and Christ will shine on you. Jesus, I belong to you. I lift up my heart to you. I set my mind on you. I fix my eyes on you. I offer my body as a living sacrifice to you, Jesus. We belong to you. And we're praying in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. All right, our text today, our title, it's a good one. I like this one. I like them all. Of course it's called you had One job. You had one job. Our text is First Corinthians 3, verse 6. Hear now the word of the Lord. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. The word of the Lord. Now consider this. The Bible is decisively growth oriented when it comes to our faith and maturity in the character of Jesus. Every book, every letter, every story in one way or another is about growing in the likeness of Jesus Christ. The whole storyline of the Bible might be summarized as the story of creation to new creation. The Bible started in a garden of trees and rivers. And it will end with a river lined by trees whose leaves are for the healing of the nations. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. But it's so critical that we grasp who does what in this process. We do not make things grow. We cannot make ourselves grow. Jesus ever trying to open our eyes to how his kingdom works. Put it like this. Mark 4. He also said, this is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground night and day. Whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself, the soil produces grain. First the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it because the harvest has come. I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. But God has been making it grow. It is settled. God makes it grow. Pressures off. But did you catch the part we play? I planted the seed. A person scatters seed on the ground. We plant the seed. But what is the seed? In his celebrated parable of the sower, Jesus made it clear. The seed is the word of God. That's Luke 8:11. The seed is the word of God. Our part is to plant the word of God in the soil of our lives. How do we do this? There's a lot to be said on this point. I say it all the time, but this comes to mind today. Remember Maxi's daily affirmation? Every day he plants the seed of this Word of God in the soil of his life. Maxie, the secret is simply this. Christ in you. Yes, Christ in you. Bringing with him the hope of all the glorious things to come. That's Colossians 1:27. I wonder, what word of God are you planting in the soil of your life these days? What seeds of scripture are you scattering across the field of your soul? Our job is to plant the seed of God's Word in our lives every single day. Here's what we don't want to hear Jesus one day say to us, you had one job. Here's what I know. Whatever word you are planting, that word is prospering. It is growing the very goodness of God in your soul. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your son Jesus and Lord Jesus. Thank you for the seed of the Word of God. And thank you that you are yourself the word of God made flesh. The picture of what happens when the word of God is realized in a human being by the power of the Holy Spirit. Let the Word become enfleshed in our lives by the same spirit. And we're praying in Jesus name. Amen. Here are a couple of just journal prompts for us today. Have you ever considered that no matter how technologically advanced the world gets, it still can't make a seed grow? The soil matters, but the secret is in the seed. How does this increase your confidence in the Word of God? You know, I Love that I planted the seed. Apollos watered it. The seed is the word of God. The water is the spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. And it's by word and spirit that Jesus transforms us. It's not by. By trying harder. It's just by just taking in the seed, planting it, sowing it. And that. That is a requirement. That was our one job. I just want to keep encouraging you. A lot of you are still. You're still working with your new word for this 2026. Every morning it's the first word I say as I begin to get awake. Before I even get out of bed, I just start saying my word out loud. It's James 1:17, no, 3:17, which says, but the wisdom that comes from God is first of all pure, then peace, loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. I just keep saying it every morning. I'll go back to my word from last year. It's from Isaiah. Forget the former things. Do not dwell on the past. Behold, I am doing a new thing. Do you not perceive it now? It springs up. I am making a way in the wilderness and streams, in the desert. That's a word speaks right to the core of my being. All day long I'm trying to just keep saying God's word. I say, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So I'm teaching my kids in Gillette Sunday school and youth group. We keep going over those be attitudes. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We could go on. We got nothing better to do than speak God's word over our own lives, sowing that word in the soil of our own minds and hearts. Guys, this word is productive. It is powerful. It never returns to God void. It always accomplishes the purposes for which he sent it. That word from Maxi. The secret is simply this. John, David, Christ in you. Yes, Christ in you. Do you know how quickly I can forget that? You too. We keep coming back. We keep sewing that seed. We keep saying, come, Holy Spirit, let it rain on the soil of my life. Bring that seed to germination and then fruition. This. You see how we're not doing? We're not doing the work. The Word is doing the work. The Spirit is doing the work. Jesus is superintending the process. He's. He's taken us from ashes to beauty, from mourning to dancing, from broken to whole, from empty to full, from sinful to righteous. This is what he does. From chaos to kingdom, order, from lostness to loved it. This is our work every single day. First word, last word, God's word. I'd love to hear how you're doing this. Maybe go to our love for you to go to our Facebook group group page today. Join us if you're not there. We'll put the link in the, in the email. It's such a redemptive group of people. A lot of these Facebook pages are toxic waste dumps, man. Ours is just full of love. And I'd love to hear how you do this every day. You know, I've told you, I think last week about in the shower, I'm like John David, you, you're my son, you're my beloved. With you I am well pleased. Gosh, I just, he's just, he's leading me by his word. I'll say the yoke, I've broken the yoke of sadness over you. Renounce despair. And I'll just start following that. I'll just start responding, see, I'll start responding to this revelation. I'll start praying out, hear it. I'll say, yes, Lord, that yoke is broken. And I renounce despair. I'm not going to let my spirit travel down that well worn path that I made for so long. That just goes into rumination and goes into just a sense of catastrophizing at times and dread and depressing despairing thoughts. I renounce despair because you have broken the yoke of sadness. And then he'll just say, don't be afraid of joy. And I just start rejoicing. I made up this song the other day. I'm gonna teach it to you. I sing it like I've said it. I think I've sung it on here before, but I sing it like this. I sing.

[B]

I rejoice, I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice, I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice in you. I rejoice in you. It's my choice to rejoice in you, Lord.

[A]

Sing it with me.

[B]

I rejoice, I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice I rejoice in the Lord. I rejoice in you. I rejoice in you. Lift my voice. I rejoice in you, Lord.

[A]

I'll just go with that. Probably in the shower too long by now. But I just keep singing it and the more I sing it, the more I mean it. And the more I mean it, the more it becomes. It just fills my spirit. And I look down on the ground and the chains of despair and the relics of sadness are just laying on the ground. And my spirit is shaking free from that slumber. I know a lot of you, we. We all get caught in these little eddies in the river of anxiety over here and despair and depression over here, and they're real and we can't get ourselves out of them. But guess what? God's word and God's spirit, God's presence in Jesus Christ, in us, he'll do it. And I. I don't know, I've spent a lot of times just kind of worrying my prayers. He's like, stop that. Speak my word, Respond to my word. Stop your worrying and agitation with your just, you know, we get our prayers themselves can become eddies because they're often just whining. They're just sourceless sayings. We need the substance of. Of God and the power of the spirit of God. He's there. He's ready. Okay, we gotta go. I got a couple things I want to remind you of today. Tacos. Yeah. Somebody sent me this cup the other day, says, nacho average pastor. How about that? And I want to remind us that Unpuzzled, our next series is coming out. And I want you to have this workbook in your hands. And here's what I'm doing. If you buy one, because I want other. I want you to sow one. I want you to invite someone else to join us for the Easter series on the Wake up call on Ephesians. And if you'll buy one and use the code, I think it's buy bu y number one. Sow number one. Buy one. So one. We'll put it in the email, I'll send you another copy for free because I'm buying that copy for your friend. I'm buying it for your friend, and I'm putting it in your hand, and right now you're starting to pray, Lord, who is that? Maybe it's a acquaintance, a co worker, a person, another family that you know, a kid at school. If you'll buy one, use that code, I'll send you two. I'm buying you one. If you buy one, I'll buy you one. How about that? That's the deal. Because I'm buying it for your friend, for the person you're praying for to invite to join us for the series. So there's that. And some of you are thinking, why are you just now saying that? I bought my copy like two weeks ago, and I Just want to say I'm sorry, but if you'll do it again, I'll do it with you. Okay? There's lots of people out there. We need more sowers in our community. This is how the world is one, one person at a time. And guys, I'm seeing people waking up through this work we're doing together. Second thing, if you're a pastor, there's a link today in the email. Hopefully it's in the YouTube and the Apple podcast and all the places I want to know. Tell me. Just check in on there. Let me know who you are. I'll be in touch. Third thing, I already said the Facebook group. I'd love for you to do that. And then the final thing I want to say is if you want to help us, like if you're what I would call a super sower, that means somebody that wants to carry stuff in their car and give it to the lady at McDonald's. Drive in. Okay? Click down there. It's called field team. This is a hand, a farmhand working in the fields, going extra miles, getting the wake up call out so we can sow the word of God in people's lives every day. So check the links today in the ps, in the show notes sections. Whatever they are, wherever they are, listen, we got miles to go before we sleep. And we know we got the cure. We've got the solution. It's on us now to sow it. It'll be on Jesus to grow it. All right, it's time to go. Thanks for singing my new song with me. I had another one queued up, but I thought, let's just go there today. I'll let you go. It's gonna be a good day. I will. Got my seeds, you get yours for The Awakening. I'm J.D.

[B]

walt.

[A]

I'm getting dad back later this week and I'll see you on the field, Sam.