PERSEVERANCE PAYS
Opening Prayer
Lord, help me to be obedient to You as You reveal Yourself to me through Your word.
Read Luke 8:1–15
The Parable of the Sower
8 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.
4 While a large crowd was gathering and people were coming to Jesus from town after town, he told this parable: 5 “A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. 6 Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.”
When he said this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.”
9 His disciples asked him what this parable meant. 10 He said, “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that,
“‘though seeing, they may not see;
though hearing, they may not understand.’[a]
11 “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. 13 Those on the rocky ground are the ones who receive the word with joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. 14 The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. 15 But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
Footnotes:
a Luke 8:10 Isaiah 6:9
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Jesus often spoke in parables. What does this passage teach us about faith and openness to the truth of Christ?Jesus is on the move again (5), taking every opportunity to proclaim the Good News. While the crowd gathers, he speaks to his team, a pre-event warm-up where he focuses on the importance of hearing God’s Word.
Countryfile is one of my favorite BBC TV programs. As a city slicker I have no knowledge of the intricacies of farming, but I am amazed by all the modern techniques—far removed from the random sowing seed by hand of Jesus’ time. The farmer knows not every seed will grow successfully, but then we hear that the seed in good soil makes up for that a hundredfold (8). Would you believe it? So much growth from such tiny seeds! What an encouragement for us who carry the seeds of the Word of God in our hearts!
But, as Jesus points out, growth doesn’t just happen. The land just being good isn’t enough. We not only have to hear God’s Word but also nurture it until it yields fruit in our lives and in the lives of those around us (15). We need to persevere.
Apply
What does the terrain of your life look like just now? Is it green pasture, or perhaps a bit bumpy and rocky? Whatever your circumstances, ask God to help you bloom where you are planted.
Closing prayer
Lord, I reflect on and thank You for all the different phases of my life. Help me to trust You so that however rough the going gets, I will trust and follow You.
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