Daily Devotional

A Ministry of the Kerwin Baptist Church

January 04, 2019

by Pastor Hawtree

BIBLE READING: MARK 4

3 Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:

Most of this chapter deals with the “parable of the sower”. In it, Jesus describes some possible scenarios of the seed after it has been spread by the sower. In this story, we are to be the sowers and the seed we spread is to be the Word of God. When we “spread” the seed, Jesus says these are the possible things that will happen:

1. The seed falls on the side of the road and birds come and eat the seed before it even has the chance to grow.
2. The seed falls on ground that is covered more with stones than it is with dirt, and the seed never grows because it never takes root in the nutrients.
3. The seed falls on thorny ground where the seed begins to grow, but the thorns choke it so it never grows enough to bear any fruit.
4. The seed falls on good, fertile ground and the seed takes root immediately and begins to grow and flourish and become fruitful.

Now there are a lot of things we can learn from this passage but let me just mention something that is often overlooked. Notice that Jesus was saying that the seed needed to be sewn in all four of these “grounds”. Yes, there is certain ground where the seed will grow better, but you and I do not need to pick and choose the ground, we just need to be faithful to sow the seed. There might be times where we witness and share God’s Word with some that will immediately receive it and begin to grow and become fruitful. Then there are times that we do the same thing with some people that never seem to ever grow.

The point is that you and I cannot become discouraged by the seed that we sow that never takes root. We must continue to spread the seed of God’s Word because it will eventually find place in individuals that will be “good ground” for it to take root.

* 26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground

We “should cast seed into the ground”. Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t grow like we think it should. After all, if we quit planting seed because some didn’t grow, then we are guaranteed that nothing ever will grow. The more seed we spread, the more chance there is for fruit to grow.