Mark 4:26-29

Passage

Jesus gives yet another parable.  Jesus compares the Kingdom of God to a person who scatters seed on the ground.  Day after day the sower goes to bed and rises up each morning.  The seed sprouts and grows without the sower’s help.  The earth produces the harvest – first the plant, then the stem to hold the harvest, and then the seeds (or fruit) of the harvest appear.  When the harvest has come, immediately he puts the sickle to the grain and brings in the harvest.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

The Kingdom of Heaven – God speaking into our life each and every day – is like watching a plant grow.  You can’t often see the growth happening.  And when you are there watching the plant, you can’t really say for sure what it is doing at any given moment.  But you can know that growth is happening.  You can know that someone else – God, primarily – is in charge of the growth.  Working within the Kingdom of God is largely about remembering that God is in control as well as being willing to abide in His sovereignty.

How easy is it to let God be in charge?  Why do we have a tendency to micromanage all the little details?  What happens when we believe we are in control?

Second Thought:

There is a distinct process to growth.  First the seed sprouts a root, then a stem, then the leaves, then comes the harvest.  The seed can’t jump immediately to the harvest.  In fact, it can’t even jump immediately to the leaves or the stem.  The seed must be nourished, grow, and then produce fruit.  The same is true about faith.  We cannot become a Christian and jump right into telling other people about God.  {Well, we can, but it usually works best if we have something to tell!}  Even Jesus gave His own disciples three full years of growth before asking them to even attempt at harvesting on their own!

What stage of growth are you in right now?  Do you think it is important to make sure you take time to grow as a Christian?

Third Thought:

When the harvest comes, it is time to bring out the sickle and bring in the harvest.  We may not be able to control the growth of the seed.  We may not be able to control where the seed grows.  We may not be able to control how much the harvest is.  What we can control is whether or not we are ready to reap the harvest.  We can control whether we are prepared to do what God asks when He asks it of us.

What do you think it means to be ready to gather in the harvest?  How do you think a person gets ready to gather the harvest?  How do you know when God’s harvest is ready to be gathered?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 4:30-32