Scripture: Mark 4:26-29 … "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."
Devotional: Growth is an amazing miraculous thing. We live in an agricultural epicenter in the Midwest where countless farmers seek to understand, master, and maximize the growth of their crops. Still, there are so many variables beyond their control. At the end of the day, those variables are in the hands of our sovereign God.
Today’s passage contains just one of Jesus’ many teachings regarding the Kingdom of God where He references agriculture to enable His listeners to understand. Jesus acknowledges the part of the sower to sow seed, but then emphasizes the end of his ability to control the growth that happens. That growth is in the hands of God himself.
The man in Jesus’ story is involved in the growth, but he's not controlling it. He's not manufacturing the growth. He doesn't even really understand it. A lot of times, it's going on regardless of what he's doing. And friend, the same is true with you and I when it comes to growing spiritually.
When we come to Jesus, when we receive His gift of salvation, that’s when our life in the Kingdom begins. We are planted, so to speak, but God works to grow us. We are involved with the growth, but we don’t control it. We don’t manufacture the growth, and often we don’t fully understand it. But God is always at work in our growth. He will use the sunshine and the rain, the heat and the cold, all in the process of our growth. At times, stress placed on a plant stimulates growth. So, it is with you and me.
Stuff happens.
Growth happens.
All in the hands of our Sovereign God.
Reflect:
- Reflect for a few moments about your own spiritual growth. Looking back on your life, how/when have you seen growth happen?