Today’s Bible readings are Leviticus 9:7-10:20, Mark 4:26-5:20, Psalm 37:30-40, & Proverbs 10:6-7
Mark 4:26-29
26 Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who
scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, while
he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not
understand how it happens. 28 The earth produces the crops on
its own. First a
leaf blade pushes through, then
the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon
as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the
harvest time has come.”
Jesus wants us to know how the kingdom works & operates.
The main reason for this is because it is much different than the way the kingdoms
of the earth operate.
1.
The kingdoms of the earth lord over one another;
not so in the kingdom of God. (Matthew 20:24-28)
2.
The kingdoms of the earth teach to be logical
& be sensible; not so in the kingdom of God. (Mark 10:15)
3.
The kingdoms of the earth teach that more is
better; not so in the kingdom of God. (Matthew 10:38-39)
4.
The kingdoms of the earth teach that is alright
to think evil as long as you don’t do evil; not so in the kingdom of God. (Matthew
5:21-48)
In this parable, Jesus begins to teach about the kingdom.
This is a very important lesson for us to understand. It helps us to see how
things work. Understanding how things work can help us to have patience while
we wait, in faith, for God’s will to be accomplished.
The first thing to see from this parable is:
1.
“The Kingdom of God is like a farmer
who scatters seed on the ground.
God is always at work, just like a farmer is always at work.
A good farmer never just sits around & does nothing. To people who aren’t
farmers it may appear that way, but it just is not true. A good farmer, a
successful farmer, is constantly thinking & strategizing on how to do &
be better. They understand that their livelihood depends on them having seed in
the ground. They don’t let anything stop them from putting seed out.
Sometimes, a farmer will scatter seed in places that others
have never scattered seed before. There is much preparation that goes into
place before any fruit is harvested. A farmer sees the potential harvest &
keeps that in mind. They are not deterred by obstacles. They find ways to
remove the obstacles, the whole time, keeping the potential harvest in mind. They
will work the land, getting it ready to take the seed. They clear the land so
that nothing can rob the seed of the life in the soil. Then they sow seed.
This brings us to the next thing to consider:
2.
27 Night
and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he
does not understand how it happens.
This is the part that is difficult for us to walk through.
We like to believe that every seed is like popcorn & all you have to do is
throw it in the microwave for 2 minutes & then you have a harvest. IT
DOESN’T ALWAYS WORK THAT WAY!!! There is a germination period for seeds.
Some is different than others. It is the same in the kingdom.
Some things take time. They aren’t going to happen over-night.
I’m not saying that God can’t do it over-night, I’m just saying that it doesn’t
happen that way every single time. We must be ok with that. This is where faith
comes in. We trust in the seed.
As long as the seed is good, it will grow, it will produce,
& there will be a harvest. This is the law of sowing & reaping. Nothing
can change this. God spoke this into law during the days of Noah:
Genesis 8:22
22 “As long as the earth
endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter,
day and night will never cease.”
Whether you
see it or not, during the tough times & the good times, when you feel it
& when you don’t; GOD IS AT WORK & HIS SEED IS GROWING!!!
1. There is seed in your children.
2. There is seed with your spouse
3. That unsaved family has seed in their heart.
4. That financial mountain in front of you—there is seed in the ground.
5. The broken heart that you are experiencing—there is seed in you!
Isaiah 55:10-11
10 “The rain and snow come
down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the
earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and
bread for the hungry. 11 It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it
always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere
I send it.
What a
picture of how the kingdom works. God’s Word stays on the soil that it falls
upon. It is great seed that cannot fail!
Remember that
God is faithful. His seed is perfect & powerful. There is a process. Let’s
look at the process:
First a
leaf blade pushes through, then
the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. 29 And as soon
as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the
harvest time has come.”
Notice what I have highlighted:
1. FIRST
2. THEN
3. FINALLY
4. AS SOON AS THE GRAIN IS READY
This begins
to show us that there is a process that is in place when it comes to seed &
harvest. This is how it is in the kingdom. This is a kingdom teaching. It is to
show us how things work in the kingdom.
I hope that
this encourages you to be patient & trust in the Lord. Every prayer that
you have prayed is seed. Every sacrifice you have made is a seed. Every dollar
you have given to missions is a seed. Every tear you have cried is a seed. Every
scripture you have spoken in faith over your situation is a seed. Every time
you shared the gospel is a seed. There is an anointing upon that seed. DON’T
WALK AWAY FROM IT!!! IT WILL PRODUCE!!!
1 comment:
todays bible verse moved me
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