Thursday, July 16: Mark 4- Kingdom growth.

I found myself pondering the 3 parables of kingdom growth. The sowing of seed… we never know which seed will bear grain. The farmer has his bag of grain, seed left unsown will NOT bear grain, so he sows in all the fields he has and then he waits. Some sprout and then die off, but others produce incredible yield. The yield more than makes up for the seed lost on the path or rocks. Sow your seed. That is what I am hearing.

Sow your seed and trust God for the growth. The second parable is about the seed growing but the farmer knows not how. When I was in Africa this year I arrived just as the rains arrived and I watched farmers planting. First they removed any large dried residual from the last harvest, then they hand tilled the soil into rows. Finally in rapid motion they moved down each row with a small hand hoe. With one swing they dig a small hole, drop in a single seed and then cover it over, repeating this hundreds, maybe thousands, of times as they moved up and down each hand-tilled row. Rains watered the fields, sun cooked the fields and about one week later I watched as small sprouts pushed through the soil bringing a promise of the harvest to come. It was this picture that Jesus used to say…. after you have sown your seed, you sleep and God does His work germinating the seed to bring its yield.

Finally Jesus taught of the mustard seed, so small yet it produces a plant so big even birds can perch in it.

The kingdom of God is a miracle of God’s work. And yet God has designed it that we, His planters, must do our work for God to do His. We must till and plant and God produces the yield.

So after this winding time in the Word, God took me to the place where He asked me, “Bill, are you planting the seed I have given you? Bill, are you doing the kingdom work I have for you?”

And so God pierce my heart with the call of His work.

Lord, help me to be faithful. Lord, strengthen me for the tasks to which You have called me. Lord, wake me when I slumber, redirect me when I get off Your path. Lead me, I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.