by Keith Sharp
“And He said, ‘The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29).
My younger grandson planted sunflower seeds when he was six and waited impatiently for them to germinate and grow into plants. As they grew into plants twice his height, he lost interest. But he learned that the power to produce life is in the seed. Neither he nor a Ph.D. botanist understands how life got into that seed. It is the work of God.
The power to change the self-willed sinner to a submissive child of God, that is to produce the kingdom of God within the human heart, does not lie with the eloquence of the preacher (1 Corinthians 2:1-5), clever methods that beguile the sinner into obedience (2 Corinthians 4:2), or carnal attractions that lure impenitent sinners into the fold (John 6:26-27). The power is in the word of God (Romans 1:16; 10:17), which, when faithfully preached and taught, will always accomplish the will of the Lord (Isaiah 55:10-11). It doesn’t matter who plants the seed but Who planted the life in the seed (1 Corinthians 3:6-7).
If my grandson becomes a gardener, he will learn to garden in faith. He will plant the seed and then go about his business, trusting that the seed will germinate, grow into a plant, and produce a crop. We sow the seed of the kingdom in human hearts in faith that the word will do its work. We preach and teach, then we leave the sinner and go about other tasks, trusting the seed to germinate within the heart, grow into faith, and produce the rule of Christ in the heart. The skeptic who claims any method whereby the word is imparted to hearers does no good lacks faith in the Lord and in His word. The word of God is still “living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).
The farmer must be patient (James 5:7) as he waits for the sunshine and rain to bring the crop to maturity. We must simply sow the seed and wait patiently for the Lord to yield the increase. There are times of faith testing frustration when all our labor seems to be accomplishing nothing.
We must not lose heart.
“Those who sow in tears
Shall reap in joy” (Psalm 126:5).
