Good Morning Friends,
The Bible is full of images of plants, vines, and branches to help us to remember Jesus as we go through the day. We are to remember that The Kingdom is like a mustard seed. We are to remember that the lilies of the field are taken care of by God. We are to remember that the wheat is white and ready for harvest each time we break bread. You see, there is a connection with the Bread of Life and the Spice of Life in the parables of our lives. There is wisdom in the Word for our use that looks into our very souls. In today’s scripture we have a Gospel reading on the Kingdom of God as it relates to a mustard seed…a parable. We have a Psalm, an acrostic, sharing the wise counsel of an old man with gems for daily living contrasting the wicked and the righteous. And we have a passage from Hebrews calling us to remember what is important. Together they challenge us to think in a new way which prompts today’s question and an unspoken deeper one on the nature of the Full Gospel. So, When The Time Comes To Share The Gospel Will We Remember To Be What We Have Been Transformed To Be?
Scripture: He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.” He also said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it; he did not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything in private to his disciples.
Mark 4:26-34 (NRSV)
Do not fret because of the wicked; do not be envious of wrongdoers, for they will soon fade like the grass, and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him; do not fret over those who prosper in their way, over those who carry out evil devices. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath. Do not fret—it leads only to evil. For the wicked shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land. Yet a little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there. But the meek shall inherit the land, and delight themselves in abundant prosperity. The wicked plot against the righteous, and gnash their teeth at them; but the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that their day is coming. The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to bring down the poor and needy, to kill those who walk uprightly; their sword shall enter their own heart, and their bows shall be broken. Better is a little that the righteous person has than the abundance of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous. The Lord knows the days of the blameless, and their heritage will abide forever; they are not put to shame in evil times, in the days of famine they have abundance. But the wicked perish, and the enemies of the Lord are like the glory of the pastures; they vanish—like smoke they vanish away. The wicked borrow, and do not pay back, but the righteous are generous and keep giving; for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land, but those cursed by him shall be cut off. Our steps are made firm by the Lord, when he delights in our way; though we stumble, we shall not fall headlong, for the Lord holds us by the hand. I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are ever giving liberally and lending, and their children become a blessing. Depart from evil, and do good; so you shall abide forever. For the Lord loves justice; he will not forsake his faithful ones. The righteous shall be kept safe forever, but the children of the wicked shall be cut off. The righteous shall inherit the land, and live in it forever. The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom, and their tongues speak justice. The law of their God is in their hearts; their steps do not slip. The wicked watch for the righteous, and seek to kill them. The Lord will not abandon them to their power, or let them be condemned when they are brought to trial. Wait for the Lord, and keep to his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on the destruction of the wicked. I have seen the wicked oppressing, and towering like a cedar of Lebanon. Again I passed by, and they were no more; though I sought them, they could not be found. Mark the blameless, and behold the upright, for there is posterity for the peaceable. But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the posterity of the wicked shall be cut off. The salvation of the righteous is from the Lord; he is their refuge in the time of trouble. The Lord helps them and rescues them; he rescues them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Psalm 37 (NRSV)
But recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings, sometimes being publicly exposed to abuse and persecution, and sometimes being partners with those so treated. For you had compassion for those who were in prison, and you cheerfully accepted the plundering of your possessions, knowing that you yourselves possessed something better and more lasting. Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised. For yet “in a very little while, the one who is coming will come and will not delay; but my righteous one will live by faith. My soul takes no pleasure in anyone who shrinks back.” But we are not among those who shrink back and so are lost, but among those who have faith and so are saved.
Hebrews 10:32-39 (NRSV)
He said, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables, so that ‘looking they may not perceive, and listening they may not understand.’
Luke 8:10 (NRSV)
Message: Today we have the parable of the Mustard Seed, and it is like all the parables, in that it is surprising and has an element that is hidden. Think of the surprise in the story of Good Samaritan for those who heard the story did not think any Samaritan could be good or that any good could come out of Nazareth either. Think about the Prodigal Son, the lavish mercy of his Father. Think about God coming to earth in human form to save us and die on a cross for our sins. All pretty surprising storylines. So today we reflect on the parable of the Mustard Seed and to power in small things but also in how things grow, and the focus is not just our emotional growth or our growth in faith or even growth of plants, but the growth in our relationships and how we remember them spiritually. Today we contemplate the whole idea of growing in love and how it helps us to remember our purpose. And friends, being in love is amazing and being in love with God is mind blowing. We were created by God with appetites for this kind of pleasure and fascination. Growing a garden in our souls is not boring. And we should not settle for a facsimile or imitation of this though earthly gardens are fulfilling too. The thing is that many people do not know what they are missing when it comes to a love relationship with God being a wisdom that abides in us. And yes, we are meant to be stunned and awestruck by this love and meant to be amazed and captivated by God’s glorious light of life for the story is meant to reflect the reality of heaven on earth whether we see it or not. For here God shines a light on a new way where we live a life of faith over fear and moreover live a life of abundant love in Christ. So, friends, remember why you were saved and keep growing. Protect your salvation and grow and bear its fruit. Do not forget about God. Remember the hope that does not disappoint. Often remember the joy of Jesus in your life and God’s faithful love. Be thankful for all the memories of God’s love in our experiences. Discover in your memories that God is worthy of spiritual love. Consider Peter on the seashore when Jesus in his resurrected body asks him if he loved him. Remember how faithful God is, and that it is God’s will that we love and grow in love too feeding others. Here we realize that we are to grow in love and remember and cherish the experience but also to be patient in love as God has been patient with us. Here we can remember even as we wait for love to grow that it might be a good day to water the garden by sharing the love of Jesus…the forgiveness we have received. Yes, today’s parable means that God’s Kingdom, though it may start from the smallest beginnings, will grow into something vast and far-reaching but there is more to it than we might imagine. Heaven is closer than we might imagine. In our tears, questions and failures God reaches out to us to transform us so we too might produce much fruit.
And So, people want it now and want it to be easy and well in some ways that is the way of sowing. It is easy to sow and though the very planting is disruptive it does turn the complex into something very simple. The challenge comes in filtering the data of very different outcomes after the planting. The challenge comes in leveling up to solving a harder problem realizing that we are not smart enough to solve it alone. There are patterns though in the cultivation of Christ in our character and culture that all can take advantage of. It is all like the miracle of a growing seed. Here the hard seeds of trust, love and obedience seem to disappear, and a few months later a crop is ready for harvest. A miracle takes place, but we do not see it happening initially. There is wisdom from above in the process and a great power that is in the seed that is not intellectual but behavioral. Plant a pepper seed and you get a pepper plant. The Seed of Christ must be planted to get a Christian. Friends, the biggest fool is one who knows the truth of this and fails to apply it. The power of the seed is what is within. It is not a matter of how much one knows but of how much one trusts, loves, and obeys the Lord. Friends, God requires us to sow spiritual seeds of the Kingdom, seeds of our time and effort, our being, and seeds of our finances, the fruits of our labors. As Christians we are not required to grow the seed but to sow it. Storing up love and faith and trust is a waste. Leaving your Bible on the shelf is a great waste as well. Friends, it is simply this: like the planted seed, God’s Word has great power when planted in our lives. It grows within us, changing us into God’s image, and producing within us the fruit of the Spirit—the characteristics of God. It is not about trying harder and harder to be like Jesus but gradually through all our memories beginning to think in new ways that change our behavior to be more like Jesus. You and I grow in our Christian faith, as the Word powerfully works within us in and through the lives of others. This is good news for those of us who are tempted to reduce the Christian lives to a list of things we must do to see the harvest. I have to be kind. I have to read my Bible. I have to pray… I have to spray and fertilize and weed. Still the good news is that Christian growth has more to do with allowing the Word of God to be planted in our lives, than it does doing great things to be like Jesus. God’s Word is planted in our lives when we worship. Personal devotions and Bible studies enable God’s Word to be planted in our lives. Fellowship and Service expose us to God’s Word, too. When God’s Word is planted in our lives it takes root and grows. God invites us to stop trying harder, and instead to be cultivated in his arms and be transformed. Friends, here is the point you need to remember. Jesus’ parables are aesthetic and meant to be enjoyed, but that they are also powerful vehicles to disclose the truth about reality and what God is doing in relation to the entire world. We are all part of God’s story. And because God is the great storyteller and is at the heart of the plotline and because we are made in God’s image, we tell stories and understand reality through the story, and we hear stories with the viewpoint of our own existence which is revealing to God who we think we are, so we can have a conversation in prayer about whose we are. But know this, we are all part of God’s story so it would be a mistake to think the parable is bound to one interpretation or about one person or country. God is bigger than whatever we might imagine…even a story about a mustard seed.
Pray thatwe remember the wise counsel we have been given. Praythat the seed of love is given and grown in our good soil to produce a harvest of abundance. Pray we sow the seeds of faith by giving to the Lord. Pray the Word of God be like a seed in our Spirit that sprouts and grows into a big tree. Pray that we each nurture the seeds of love and goodness planted in our lives. Pray that these seeds are strengthened by the Word so that our faith takes root, thrives, and grows strong. Pray that in God’s time, by His grace and for His glory we develop deep roots. Pray that we rejoice in the promise of the harvest. Pray we bear fruit with seeds for the ongoing sowing of the Word. Pray that our faith grows like a mustard seed. Pray that we prepare our hearts and minds so the seeds of love might grow in us. Praywe never forget our first love of God. Pray that we have the hope and memory of God’s love each day. Pray we recall the experience of God in our own growth history. Pray we give growth a chance. Pray remember the hope planted in us. Pray we realize that growth is not overnight and that there are cycles and seasons for God’s perfect timing. Pray we realize that to sustain growth we need wisdom, and we need discernment to grow like Jesus. Pray with thanksgiving that God is building a network of believers that we can connect with to gain better understanding. Pray that we are surprised by the joy-like surprises in parables. Pray we appreciate the parables of Jesus because that is how he taught. Pray that our sharing of the Gospel to others leads to a new kind of living that reflects the good news that everything has changed in the coming of Jesus.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 