Good Morning Friends,
Today Jesus teaches us about growth—both the growth of the church and the growth of our own hearts. Some believe this happens mainly from the pulpit, others through outreach and service. But Jesus’ Parable of the Sower reminds us that doing good and sharing the Gospel are never separate. The seed is the Word of God; the soil is the condition of our hearts. Is Your Gardening Producing a Harvest?
Message: Jesus often reached beyond expected boundaries to share the Good News. In the parable, a farmer scatters seed and sees different results depending on the soil. The point is simple: the farmer expects a harvest, but the soil determines the outcome.Once the Word is planted in us, we become sowers too. Our task is to cultivate good soil in our own hearts so we can plant God’s Word in the lives of others. We plant and we nurture—but God alone gives the increase. Sometimes the seed grows where we least expect it, and sometimes it doesn’t grow where we thought it would. God prepares the soil.The Word also challenges us. It cuts away what does not belong, and trouble often comes because of the Truth. Yet life is in the seed and in the soil—not in our cleverness or effort. Trust the seed. Seek God’s plan, not your own.
Scripture: Again he began to teach beside the sea. Such a very large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat on the sea and sat there, while the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. He began to teach them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and it sprang up quickly, since it had no depth of soil. And when the sun rose, it was scorched; and since it had no root, it withered away. Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no grain. Other seed fell into good soil and brought forth grain, growing up and increasing and yielding thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.” And he said, “Let anyone with ears to hear listen!” When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. These are the ones on the path where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, they immediately receive it with joy. But they have no root, and endure only for a while; then, when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are those sown among the thorns: these are the ones who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things come in and choke the word, and it yields nothing. And these are the ones sown on the good soil: they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.”
Mark 4:1-20 (NRSV)
Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.
Hebrews 4:12-13 (NRSV)
‘I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
John 15:1-6 (NRSV)
And So, to bear fruit, we must stay connected to Christ. Scripture, prayer, Christian community, and the Spirit’s guidance enrich our soil. Abiding in Christ produces compassion, forgiveness, courage, and answered prayer. Fruitfulness is not something we manufacture; it is the natural result of remaining in Him.
Pray that we become good soil and bear much fruit. Pray the Holy Spirit empowers God’s truth in us. Pray the authority of Jesus shapes our gifts. Pray we abide in the Word, in love, and in the joy of Christ. Pray we stay connected to what truly matters. Pray we help others receive the Word so it can take root. Pray we treasure, study, trust, and live God’s Word. Pray that our past hard, shallow, divided, or selfish hearts help us show grace to others. Pray the seeds we plant grow into abundance and love. Pray for wisdom to deal with the weeds.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 