There is Power in the Seed
ICS Daily Devotions
Mark 4:13-14, 20 (NKJV) And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word. …But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
In the above passage, Jesus was explaining the ‘Parable of the Sower’ to the disciples because if they understood it, they would also comprehend the rest of the parables. Similarly, grasping the fundamental truth of this parable will help us to be fruitful in our Christian lives.
The seed refers to the Word of God and the soil refers to our hearts. The highlight of the parable is on the last soil where the seed of the Word of God was well received and accepted, and it brought forth a harvest. What Jesus is helping all of us to understand is that we determine how much the Word of God influences our lives, because we have been given the freedom to choose. Therefore, we need to decide in our hearts to listen to the Word intently, accept it and act it out diligently because nobody else can do it for us or force us into it.
It is easy to steal the seed when it is lying on hardened ground, stony ground and amongst thorns because it is above the surface of the soil. Likewise, we can be listening to the preaching, teaching, and sharing of the Word but are uninterested or sceptical about it. Also, because we are so used to “seeing is believing” and accustomed to being affected by our senses, we may struggle to believe by faith and may give up easily rather to put up a fight between what we are experiencing and believing by faith.
However, there is tremendous power in the seed, and if the soil is fertile, which means the heart is willing to receive the Word, there will be a multiplication effect of up to a hundredfold. The seed will begin to germinate and take root even though we can’t see its growth with our natural eye. We will need to water the seed by meditating on the Word or reviewing the preaching or teaching of the Word to help it to grow and allow it to take root in our hearts. The harvest of fruit in our lives will also affect the lives of the people around us because a multiplication effect takes place as we live out the truth or share the conviction of the Word with the people around us.
In Matthew 13:31-32, Jesus also taught us how the mustard seed can grow into a strong tree despite the size of the seed planted. Therefore, we must not underestimate the power of God’s Word in our lives. A tremendous amount of faith is developed when we listen to the unadulterated Word of God, accept it, and allow it to bear fruit and multiply.
Sermon Series: Don’t Let it Be Stolen
