Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room
April 22, 2022
Read Mark 4:1-9
1 Jesus began to teach beside the lake again. Such a large crowd gathered that he climbed into a boat there on the lake. He sat in the boat while the whole crowd was nearby on the shore. 2 He said many things to them in parables. While teaching them, he said, 3 “Listen to this! A farmer went out to scatter seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell on the path, and the birds came and ate it. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground where the soil was shallow. They sprouted immediately because the soil wasn’t deep. 6 When the sun came up, it scorched the plants; and they dried up because they had no roots. 7 Other seeds fell among thorny plants. The thorny plants grew and choked the seeds, and they produced nothing. 8 Other seeds fell into good soil and bore fruit. Upon growing and increasing, the seed produced in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case a yield of sixty to one, and in another case a yield of one hundred to one.” 9 He said, “Whoever has ears to listen should pay attention!”
Good Morning, God gave us ears so that we may hear!
Spring is a great time to talk about planting. The foundation of a good crop as Jesus shares in the parable is good soil. From my experiences, you can’t just assume that the soil in your garden bed is good soil. As a younger sower of seeds, I fell upon many failures in my attempts. I hadn’t learned the importance of taking care of the soil first.
Modern housing developments are notorious for poor soil quality because the topsoil is often scraped away to level the ground. The contractors aren’t worried about the ability of the homeowners to grow beautiful flowers. They just need level ground upon which to build homes. Over time, one can add soil and nutrients to create a lush growing environment for their gardens.
Now Jesus’ main point was about growing believers, not growing flowers. He was talking about the foundation upon which a life of faith must be grounded. Providing a lush growing environment for the Word also takes time. This development of “rich topsoil” begins with prayer and reading the Scriptures. This should be followed by spending time with the community of believers who can share and nurture this development. Just like those seeds planted on rocky ground, new converts often burn out when they don’t have that strong foundation. They are “on fire” with their newfound faith, but they have not developed strong roots to weather the storms that come. Without deep connections to the Word, these new believers dry up and wither.
Even those lifelong believers must continue to add nourishment to their soil. Just like garden beds that have produced beautiful crops for many years, without nurturing the soil becomes depleted and the new crops begin to produce less. Jesus calls us to be in a relationship with Him. This relationship founded in prayer, reading Scriptures, and Christian fellowship will endure whatever storms may come.
Loving and Gracious God, Thank You for loving us. Help us continue to nourish our souls. We just get so busy that we forget the basics. Thank You for always being with us, reminding us along our way! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: Today I will sow seeds of kindness.
Pray! Live! Love! Pastor Liz
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