THURSDAY, MARCH 24, 2011
He also said, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.’” Mark 4:26-29
READ
Jesus gives an incredible description of the kingdom of heaven from an everyday example. The farmer plants his seeds and then goes about his business. What is important is that ‘he does not know how’ the seed grows into a plant, stock, head and then kernel. In the same way, we go about our lives, hopefully, sowing seeds for the Kingdom. These seeds grow and grow and we have no idea how. The people in Jesus’ time saw the growth of a plant as a work of God so the point was clear to them. God has allowed us to be workers for the kingdom of God, but ultimately the work belongs to God Himself because it is God who grows things. We are just planters.
In the same way that the farmer trusts that the seeds he sows will grow into plants, we also need to trust that God will cause the Kingdom to grow out of the lives as we sow seeds. It is important to remember that the small things we do are not small, but are seeds sown, and we can trust that they will grow with God’s help.
PREPARE
- Praise God for who He is
- Confess your sinfulness and need for cleansing
- Allow His Spirit to draw you near
- Listen as He speaks to you
PRAY
- Pray that God helps us to trust Him for Kingdom growth
- Pray that God helps us to sow seeds in our communities
TRUST
- Thank God for hearing you
- Trust that God is at work to accomplish His will
FOLLOW
What’s happening around us?
The Ride for Refugees (the “RIDE”) was put into place by International Teams and raises money to support the displaced, the vulnerable and the exploited in society. From its humble beginnings with 25 riders and a handful of volunteers, the RIDE has swollen to 3600 riders and over 1000 volunteers in 17 cities across Canada, USA and Australia.
Get involved by volunteering for a ride, giving financially to a rider or team, or leading a team/doing it yourself. The next ride day is May 1, 2011. For more info or to sign up visit their website.
http://www.rideforrefuge.org