God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Saturday, May 30, 2020

Lessons from the Parable of the Sower


by Barbara Latta

Planting season is here. Gardeners are plowing fields making soil ready to receive the seeds that will
bring a harvest in a few weeks. Water, fertilizer and sunshine will be applied to the ground. Seedlings sprout and soon large plants produce vegetation or flowers for the gardener to enjoy.

In Mark 4:1-20, Jesus told the parable of the sower as an illustration of the human heart. All of us who have been believers for any length of time have probably been in each of these groups at one time or another. The important lesson we learn from this example is what Jesus said after sharing this story with his disciples.

The parallels from the parable are:

Seed that fell by the wayside = Apathetic Christian: These are people who may go to church but do not get involved in ministry or have a heart for sharing the gospel. They only care about their own lives and what can be done for them. They may call themselves Christians but may not really be born again.
Stony Ground = Rootless Christian: This would be those who are excited about the message they hear but they do not continue to study and grow. When bad things happen, they may stop attending church, question God or totally reject Him.
Thorny Ground = Distracted Christian: This group of people puts more emphasis on their problems and the desire for things than the power of God. The seed is mixed with worldly influence and they can become confused and unable to know what is right or wrong.  
Good Soil = Fertile Christian: These are the ones who spend time in the Word listening to God and praying so the seed of the Word produces results in their lives and every need is met.

Pay attention to what you hear. By your own standard of measurement [that is, to the extent that you study spiritual truth and apply godly wisdom] it will be measured to you [and you will be given even greater ability to respond]-and more will be given to you besides. For whoever has [a teachable heart], to him more [understanding will be given; and whoever does not have [a yearning for truth], even what he has will be taken away from him (Mark 4:24-25 AMP).

We can learn from planting season as we watch seeds grow in gardens. Our heart is God’s garden and it is our responsibility to prepare the soil for the seed if we desire an abundant spiritual harvest.  

Join the conversation and share your thoughts.



6 comments:

  1. My mom has beautiful gardens, but those dang weeds pop up so fast. By the time she’s done weeding, they’re already growing up again where she started. Weeding is a never ending job (which is why I’m not a gardener!) but the fruit of her labor is incredibly beautiful. It’s the same in our lives, the weeds will choke out the beauty if we don’t pluck them up and throw them out!

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    1. I know what you mean about those weeds. I was pulling some yesterday and have a sore back because of it! But those soul weeds can sprout up just as fast and that's why we need spiritual Round-up to kill them. Thanks, Josie, for sharing. Blessings!

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  2. For the past few years, I've been prompted to pull the weeds and thorns of distraction out of my life. Just as one gets cleared out, another one pops up. I suppose this life will never be completely free of weeds and thorns, but my hope and intention are to nurture the roots of faith and allow God to do the pruning.

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    1. We are surrounded by weed seeds in this life and yes, we do have to continually pull them out. The more we do allow God to do the pruning the less those weeds can affect our decisions. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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  3. Barbara, this sentence reminds us of our responsibility: "Our heart is God’s garden and it is our responsibility to prepare the soil for the seed if we desire an abundant spiritual harvest." May our hearts be fertile soil. Thank you for this post.

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    1. Yes, Jeannie, my heart's prayer is for a heart that is fertile soil for the Word of God. Thanks for sharing. Blessings!

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