Bible Verse Ephesians 5:16 (AMP) 15 Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people], 16 [a]making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but understand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is.
Mark 4:14 Amplified Bible (AMP) 14 The sower sows the word [of God, the good news regarding the way of salvation].
Luke 8:4-15 Parable of the Sower
Be Sure You Plant Your Seeds
Recently our pastor’s Sunday sermon was on the parable of the sower. The focus of his sermon was what happens to the seed after it is sown and the growth that occurs, or doesn’t occur due to the growing conditions where the seed has fallen. At the conclusion of the service, each member of the congregation was invited to take a packet of seeds and to go home and plant them.
My first thought was, “I don’t need any more seeds, because I already have a huge stash I haven’t planted!” My hoard of seeds has grown from one spring to the next-over many years! My husband makes jokes about my stash every time I buy seeds. As a gardener the anticipation of the planting season peaks with seed shopping, and the first sunny day beyond the last frost of winter. The challenge comes as the spring rains interrupt my plans to plant my seeds. The seeds then get buried on the counter, and my time is consumed by everything but planting seeds: work, entertainment, too busy, too tired and other endless excuses. The seeds are forgotten for another season.
If I’m neglecting to plant my seeds in my garden, could I also be doing the same thing in my spiritual life by neglecting to share the Good News of Christ with others? Have I neglected someone in need of encouragement? Am I making the most of opportunities to share God’s love and grace? Am I hoarding good things from God in my own heart as I neglect to share what I have learned? Seeds must first be sown in order to reap a harvest!
There are some things that I can improve on by sharing God’s blessings:
• I can pray that I will be a better witness.
• I can ask God for opportunities to serve Him.
• I can pray more for those in need that I encounter throughout my day.
Questions to Ponder:
Name a way that you can make the most of your time on Earth?
How can we firmly grasp and know what the will of God is?
The Prayer of Saint Francis of Asissi seems to simplify the awesome task of being a good steward of my seeds:
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.
O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to eternal life.
I am good about making a list of the things I need to do. The harder part is getting it done (planting those seeds).
Making a list is great! I used to do that frequently.