Mark 2-4

Chapters 2 & 3 of Mark tell the same stories we read yesterday in Luke 4-6. So, unless somebody has questions about either of those chapters, I am going to focus on Mark 4 today. The theme of this chapter is Seed: the farmer and his seed, the growing seed, the mustard seed. I grew up as a farmer's daughter; so I hope you will indulge me as I explore some of the metaphors relating to seed and the Word of God.

Seed must be planted to produce a crop. Seed left too long in the grainery turns to rot. What good is a packet of wildflower seeds left in the garage? You and I attend Sunday school most every week. What are we doing with the Word of God we study? Is it rotting within us, or are we sowing it into the lives of others?

I searched the word germination and found the following wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germination. A couple of things stood out to me as I read this page while thinking about sowing the Word of God. First of all, there are certain conditions that must be present for a seed to germinate: water, oxygen, temperature, light or darkness. When you and I talk to our friends and family about coming to know Jesus, the conditions must be right for the Word to sprout in their lives. God must be drawing them, and their hearts must be soft to accept His love. The wiki page even mentions that love is one of the conditions for germination. And I quote,

"You need love to make a plant grow too. If you abandon the plant and don't water it, it will die. If you take care of it and really want it to survive, it will live. Love is a big element you need to contribute to your plant. If the plant has water, oxygen, right temperature, and light/darkness it still won't survive without love. Love would motivate you to give it all of the things such as water, oxygen, right temperature, and light/darkness."

I hope you understand the spiritual application here. Are you and I taking care of the souls God has given us to grow for His Kingdom?

The second thing that stood out to me in the article was that there are several types of germination. Every seed has its own way of sprouting. Each person we meet has his own special needs. Don't think that one method of evangelism works every time. Build a relationship with the person God gives to you. Take the time to love them as Jesus loves them.

I also followed this link to read about sowing seeds: http://theseedsite.co.uk/seedsowing.html.
I liked this list from the page. As you read it, think about how it relates to sharing the Word of God with others.

Always use fresh compost
Always use clean pots
Always label the seeds
Don't let them dry out
Don't keep them wet
Watch out for predators - snails and slugs can get anywhere!
Improvise - use whatever you have that will give the seeds the conditions they need to germinate.
Don't be afraid to experiment - often, one 'expert' will tell you a particular type of seed needs to be stratified, and another 'expert' will tell you it needs to be sown in heat. Your guess is as good as theirs.
Finally - they won't grow if you don't sow them!

I also came across another blogger's page on the topic of the seed metaphor. I hope he won't mind if I send you to his page to read the collection of Bible passages he discovered where the sowing of seed is mentioned. I especially like the title of his page, don't you?

After Jesus told parables, then He would tell His disciples the true meaning. Mark 4:34b, "But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything." It made me wonder if you and I spend enough uninterrupted time with Jesus to allow Him to explain everything to us?

I sure hope you will ask a question or make a comment on today's reading. But if you don't, I would be totally thrilled if you would, "Come, glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His Name together!" (Ps. 34:3)