Corona Devo 1604

What kind of "seed" are we?  

Here is a better question: What kind of seed do we want to be today and in five years?

Again Jesus began to teach by the lake. The crowd that gathered around him was so large...

(2) He taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching said: (3) “Listen! A farmer went out to sow his seed. (4) As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.   ~Mark 4:1-4

Sometimes we don't even give God and His Word a chance.  We know He's here (somewhere).  We've heard there is wisdom in His Book (the Bible).  But we are not giving Him a foothold or cracking that Bible open.  

As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.   ~Mark 4:4

Our boys attended a high school church conference with about 2,000 other young men and women last week.  They invited quite a few of their friends to come, and a number of them actually seemed interested.  I was praying for one particular kid to say Yes.

He didn't.  

He might have gone on a family vacation the same week.  He might have gotten sick.  He might have had any number of other scenarios occur that prevented him from attending.  But I have a hunch in my spirit that although God's seed was scattered to him, the birds came and ate it up.

(13) Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t you understand this parable? How then will you understand any parable? (14) The farmer sows the word. (15) Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them.  ~Mark 4:13-15

Have we allowed the birds to eat up the seed that God has scattered in our lives and hearts?  

Have we scattered some seeds for the Lord, only to see them eaten up by the birds of the world?

Keep scattering the seed of the Lord today.

~~~

Some (seed) fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. (6) But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ~Mark 4:5-6

Does our faith in God have root?  Is there an adherence in our hearts to the Lord and His truth, even when the stormwinds of life blow, or the sun comes out to scorch?  

Then Jesus said to them...  (16) "Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. (17) But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away."  ~Mark 4:13, 16-17

Many people everyday are introduced-to and accept Jesus into their hearts.  (Praise the Lord!)  But join me in praying that they do not last only a short time with Him.  The rocky places of life cover a lot of ground, but God can produce fertile soil in anyone that desires Him.  

~~~

(7) Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants, so that they did not bear grain.   ~Mark 4:7

Sometimes we worry about life's details so much that it chokes us and halts us from bearing God's good grain.  

Sometimes we control things so much that we choke God out in the process and hence...there's no grain.

What environment of prayer/praise/quiet-time/submission are we giving to the seed that God is scattering to us?  Are we currently distracted or detached from God because we have put-down-roots in intellect/finances/emotions/or worldly truth, rather than God's Truth? 

Then Jesus said to them... (18) Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; (19) but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful.  ~Mark 4:13, 18-19

One buddy of our boys has attended church camp/conference with them for five years in a row.  Five years.  He doesn't go to church during the year, but he accepts the invitation for one week in the summer, every year, and during that week, he hears the word.  

But his other 51 weeks are questionable and (even) during camp-week this year, he fell away.  Shenanigan's, fights, lying, and even stealing grew up within him and choked much of what God was trying to plant and grow.  

(Yes, that can happen at church camp and in our lives too.  How?  Because God is holy but we are human, and what we do with the seed that God scatters before us is (unfortunately) up to us.)    

~Is anything coming in and choking the word out of us and our lives today?  

~~~

Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up, grew and produced a crop, some multiplying thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times.”   ~Mark 4:8

Then Jesus said to them...  (20) Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.”  ~Mark 4:13, 20

We know that God has good plans for the seed that He scatters.

May the students at that conference and you and me receive God's seed on good soil. 

~~~ 

More than one of their invited-friends, (and many others too) accepted Christ at camp this week.  (Praise the Lord!)  Join me in praying for the soil of these spiritually-tender hearts.  We all know that the birds and weeds of the world will be swooping in to steal God's seed.  But we can pray for it to have fallen on good soil.  We can ask God to grow it, to produce a crop...some thirty, some sixty, some a hundred times what was sown.

Yes, we can (and do!) pray for (new) seed today, but we alaso pray for our seed from God today, too:

Lord, how we yearn to be the seed falling on good soil.  Make it so within our lives and hearts.  May Your Word and Truth produce a crop within us and through us.  May we multiply Your efforts by thirty, sixty and a hundred times.  Lord, allow us to have receiving hearts for your seed and we pray that we might bloom and grow for You today.  Amen.  

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com