04 August 2008

Where Does Your Seed Lie?


"And when many people had gathered together and had come to Him out of every city, He spoke by a parable:
"A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside, and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.

And some fell upon a rock, and as soon as it had sprung up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.
And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.
And other fell on good ground, and sprang up and bore fruit a hundredfold."
And when He had said these things, He cried, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!"
And His disciples asked Him, saying, "What might this parable mean?"
And He said, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; but to others in parables, that `seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.'
Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.
Those by the wayside are they that hear; then cometh the devil and taketh away the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
The seed on the rock are they that, when they hear, receive the Word with joy, but they have no root: they for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
And that which fell among thorns are they that, when they have heard, go forth and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
But that on the good ground are they that, in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it and bring forth fruit with patience." (Luke 8:4-15)

Have you ever noticed those little seedlings coming through the crack in a sidewalk? or breaking through a stony surface?

I don't know about you, but it just does my heart good to see these little sprouts shooting out of seemingly inhospitable surroundings; determined to forge their way through the most challenging circumstances. What an encouragement to those of us who find ourselves between a rock and a hard place, right?

Well, today I was led to the scripture in Luke where Jesus tells the parable of the farmer scattering the seed. And He tells us "The seed is the Word of God."

We have been given such a precious gift from our Father! The very 'mysteries of the Kingdom of God'! To any of us who has a willing heart, He wants to share His wisdom and truth with us!

But, we must not only have a willing spirit... we must actually plant that seed. Deep within us. And nurture that seed, to help it to flourish and grow and eventually produce a great harvest in our lives.

Don't get me wrong. This Seed is in no danger of falling away due to neglect. It has the inherent ability to cut through; to penetrate even the harshest environments. And withstand ages of neglect.

It is 'living and active.' (Hebrews 4:12)

The question is: Will this Seed get the chance to flourish and thrive in your life? Or will it merely survive, in spite of you?

"The Word is Alive" by Casting Crowns

(Push pause on playlist before viewing)

3 comments:

Luanne said...

Hi Jess--
I too love it when I see green growing where it would seem impossible for life. I took a picture of a plant growing in the middle of lava in Hawaii. Also, Beth Moore's simulcast was on the same passage! Oh, by the way--congrats on the Miss Slob title!!!!

Jess said...

Is that not so like Him... I did not get to see the simulcast and had no idea what she had spoken on! I had just received a little email with that scripture mentioned (and to be honest, didn't even read the whole email - just focused on Luke 8 and went from there!). Is anybody showing the actual simulcast online now? I'd love to see it!

Anonymous said...

What a cool analogy! Keep working on these great passages, and a book deal might be next... Great job!