The Sower
3 good reasons to keep sowing!
Luke 8:5-15 A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
“A sower went out to sow….” time after time after time in the Bible Jesus references sowing and reaping with regards to spreading the Gospel and growing the kingdom of God. Now, I know that the purpose of this parable is more about the soil than the seed or the sower. We should all remember that we need to maintain a heart of Good ground, open and prepared to hear the word of God. But I also beleive that we can learn alot from another of two eliments of this story. The sower.
Who is He?
For a moment, lets take a step back and just look at who this character is.
A man of purpose
Since he is called a sower, you can guess that being a farmer is his livelihood. He isnt some guy planting a hobby garden, or experimenting with exotic plants, he is purposeful. And he has a goal to bring in a harvest for the very spicific reason that he needs to be able to feed his family during the winter months. He wants to rest knowing that he has enough to sustain him and his family for a long time. The sower has a purpose and a goal.
He is a man of action
He “went out to sow.” He is a man of action. He is doing something. He isnt waiting for a crop to just come up out of nowhere; to just spring up in his front yard unannounced. He has chosen to actively cultivate a harvest. He has purchased seed, prepared his ground, and now it is time to sow. He has taken all of the necessary steps to be sure that he will get what he is after. He is a man of action.
He is a man who beleives
This man beleives in his seed. He has bought it. He trusts that this seed will give him the harvest he needs. we know that he believes in the seed, because he is taking action based on what the seed is supposed to do; Grow up and create a harvest. The sower has faith that this seed will bring the intended result.
This sower is reflected in all kinds of people who are involved in telling others about Jesus! From pastors, missionaries and evangelists to moms, sunday school teachers and church members. Never say that because you do not have an official title that God cant use you. My mom and dad influenced my life more than anyone. And dear friends have given me the exact encouragement I needed in difficult times. Everyone can be involved in telling others about how salvation will change their heart and life!
What does he do?
The farmer walks back and forth in a field reaching into his bag, and tossing out a handfull of seeds. Again, again and again. And again and again and again. Not to dramatic or exciting huh? No earthshattering things happen as he quietly plants his seed. You cant really see a big difference in the field at the end of the day when he is finished either. But something very significant has taken place. The seed is exactly where it needs to be, in order to eventually completely change the landscape of the field. It will provide the farmer with everything he needs to survive the winter and have an income besides. The field is now filled with potential. It is filled with exactly what it needs to produce something wonderful.
Whether it is in a church setting, a community, or even in your family; as you try to plant seeds of the gospel around you, you might not see the exact reaponse you were hopeing for immediately. And it is easy to get discouraged while planting. Its easy to look around and say “this field really hasnt changed a whole lot, I’d like to just force some of those seeds to sprout!”maybe by begging or dumping a whole bunch of water on it at once you can force the seed to sprout! But it wont. You see, you cant really force a seed to sprout. No amount of begging a plant will make a difference. And dumping gallons upon gallons of water on it certainly wont help either. It takes patience, water, and alot of sunshine. And with the seed of the Gospel it takes patience, faith and alot of prayer.
just like in the parable of the sower, not every seed produces fruit. But a havest is promised. No matter how many times the seed may land on stony ground or get snatched away by the enemy; there will always be good ground in which the seed of the word of God can sprout and sink its roots deep into the hearts of the hearers. Maybe those seeds just need a little more time to grow, a little more light of the Gospel and a little more water from the word of God. But God’s promise is that a harvest will come. So dont be discouraged and KEEP PLANTING!
I wanted to finish up with 3 good reasons to keep on sowing!
There will be a harvest
2 corinthians 9:6 ¶ But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Galations 6:9 “And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.”
There will be rejoicing
Psalm 126:5-6 “They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”
There will be a reward
1 corinthians 3:6-9 “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
God will use your words and deeds for His glory if you let Him. If you have the courage to keep going, and keep sowing seeds around you. God promised a harvest, and we can trust that He will send one!