Growing Things 101
how does it work…
“This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is God’s word.
The seeds that fell on the footpath represent those who hear the message, only to have the devil come and take it away from their hearts and prevent them from believing and being saved.
The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear the message, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the cares and riches and pleasures of this life. And so they never grow into maturity.
And the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who hear God’s word, cling to it, and patiently produce a huge harvest. ' Luke 8:11-15
small gardening lesson to start:
Select your seeds
Choose a container
Add seed starting mix to your container
Plant your seeds
Cover your container
Water your seeds
Care for your seedlings
Harden off your seedlings
Transplant your seedlings
just think, the example above is only from a seed to a seedling. imagine how much time God has spent caring and nurturing us since we were planted in good soil. similar to the lifecycle of a plant: from a seed, to germination, stems & roots, leaves, flowers, pollination, then to fruits/flowers and other seeds, it takes patience, effort, and a whole lot of love.
how fortunate for us that when we heard The Word of God that it took root and it has allowed us to grow into the men we are now. we still are maturing and going through the steps of having our lives bear good fruit.
if we continue to stay connected to The Lord, we will see the growth, the increase. like verses 12-14 point out, away and apart from Him, we will not survive - we will simply rot away and or never grow to be what we were designed for because our source of life is not there.
trust in God’s Word, that it is real, is the Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. that the lessons are for us to learn from. that what happened in the past in really no different than what we encounter today. same evil, same sin, same desires that pull us away from doing what is right and good in God’s eyes. be diligent and focused to not stray away from The Truth.
dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your Word, that it provides us sustenance and understanding. allows us to learn who we are in and through your Son, Jesus, our Lord and Savior. that it allows us to know if what we are thinking or believing is either in alignment with you or not. may we never stray from it. in Jesus’ name i pray, amen!