The parable of the sower, told by Jesus in Mark, has been called the granddaddy of all parables because it is the blueprint for how God’s kingdom works.
Mark 4:3-8, 13: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. 5 Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. 7 And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? Once we understand what it means to be a sower and that our sowing activates the law of seedtime and harvest, the Bible takes on a whole new meaning. Suddenly you can’t get enough of the Word. You are on a quest. You want to understand how to apply the law of seedtime and harvest in a way that would change your life and destiny, as well as the destiny of your family. God will reveal to you that there are different types of seed available to you and how they can produce either good or bad harvests, depending on how you plant them. The Purpose of Parables Mark 4:10-12 10 But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. 11 And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, And hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, And their sins be forgiven them.’ ” The Parable of the Sower Explained Mark 4 13-20 13 And He said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? 14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. 16 These likewise are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 and they have no root in themselves, and so endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises for the word’s sake, immediately they stumble. 18 Now these are the ones sown among thorns; they are the ones who hear the word, 19 and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. 20 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.”
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Growing a few tomato plants in the back yard doesn’t make someone a farmer. Any more than giving an offering on Sunday makes that individual a sower. Nor does planting a vegetable garden.
A sower is a person who understands the power of the seed and the law of seedtime and harvest. From the very beginning, God intended that you and I be sowers. It is how He planned for our lives to be sustained. Through our sowing, we have the power to determine our own destiny. We see this principle in Genesis 1:28 when God told the first man and woman to have dominion. The Message translation says: Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!... God is saying that through the law of seedtime and harvest, we can actually take charge of our future. Sowing is what got you where you are today and it is how you are going to get where God wants you to be. Sowing is not a part-time endeavor or a hobby. It is what you are and what you do. Most of us have no idea that the way our lives have turned out is a direct result of the seeds we’ve sown. Like most people, we wake up every morning wondering what will happen next, how will we pay the rent, will our families have enough to eat. It’s never occurred to us that we have the ability to take charge of our lives and destinies. Our lives are on a downward spiral because of the seeds we had sown and we’re still sowing. Thank God you finally hear the truth from God’s Word, and that truth sets you free. The parable of the sower, told by Jesus in Mark, has been called the granddaddy of all parables because it is the blueprint for how God’s kingdom works. You may work as a mechanic; you may be a teacher; perhaps you are a doctor. But from God’s perspective, although you may be gifted in your vocation (in other words, your job, or career), the work that you do is not how He intends for you to sustain your life or something you do to earn a living. God intends for our jobs to provide a means for us to earn a giving. Pastor has taught us that. Our jobs are nothing more than a means for us to have seed to sow.
Don’t brush me off now! Stay with me! This is probably new to most of us. Notice I said us. We cannot limit ourselves to a paycheck because we were created to be sowers. Our income is determined by our sowing, not by what we get paid. You might say, I don’t have several avenues for additional income, or I’m on a fixed income. Although we don’t realize it, when we make statements like that, we are actually limiting ourselves by our confession. Well, if we’ll do what the Word of God says, we can change some things. And the first step is making the decision to become a sower. If I asked you, “what is the greatest Spiritual Law?”
What would your answer be? You might ask, what is a spiritual law? Simply stated, it is a rule or pattern that can be applied to everything in the universe. Now I ask you again, “what is the greatest Spiritual Law?” The greatest spiritual law is the law of SEEDTIME AND HARVEST. The first thing you need to understand about the law of seedtime and harvest is this: EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS ON PLANET EARTH REVOLVES AROUND THIS LAW - including the events in your life. Or to put it another way, the seeds you sow determine how far you go – especially in God’s plan for your life. In order to understand this law, we need to go back to the book of Genesis where everything began: Genesis 1:27-29 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Notice the last word of the scripture is food. It can also mean provision. God is saying, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for your provision.” It’s clear that God intended for us to make provision for our lives by sowing. The act of sowing not only makes provision for us and sustains us, it also represents what we are and what we do. We are sowers and we sow. THE GREATEST SPIRITUAL LAW If I asked you, “what is the greatest Spiritual Law?” What would your answer be? You might ask, what is a spiritual law? Simply stated, it is a rule or pattern that can be applied to everything in the universe. Now I ask you again, “what is the greatest Spiritual Law?” The greatest spiritual law is the law of SEEDTIME AND HARVEST. The first thing you need to understand about the law of seedtime and harvest is this: EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS ON PLANET EARTH REVOLVES AROUND THIS LAW - including the events in your life. Or to put it another way, the seeds you sow determine how far you go – especially in God’s plan for your life. In order to understand this law, we need to go back to the book of Genesis where everything began: Genesis 1:27-29 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Notice the last word of the scripture is food. It can also mean provision. God is saying, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for your provision.” It’s clear that God intended for us to make provision for our lives by sowing. The act of sowing not only makes provision for us and sustains us, it also represents what we are and what we do. We are sowers and we sow. |
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