Hungry Hearing

This morning I was reading again the parable of the sower.  These few lines in Luke 8 hold several treasures, including the reason Jesus often taught with them.  Parables are for seekers--those who will invest some time to discover the heart of the matter, the deeper truths, the gold hidden all around us, the secrets that are there to be heard in His quiet whispers when you draw close to hear and learn more.  They are the intimate things of His heart that He is delighted to share with those who are curious and hungry and come to receive.

But even a quick reading will tell us these things:   1)  Sow the seed you have been given--don’t hold it back for some better day.  Broadcasting means to spread it widely, even where you may think it has no chance to grow.  2)  You don’t know what God is doing with other workers or in the soil of the one who may receive.  The world is full of tramplers, thieves, rocks, and weeds, but there are also guides, guards, and gardeners who come along doing their work and who may enable the seeds you’ve planted to grow.  3)  Give generously; His supply of seed will not run out.  You will find your pockets continually full of them if you keep sharing.  4)  Be willing to be a guide, guard and gardener, watching and listening for the opportunity to help, protect, weed, water, nurture and harvest.  You can be a gift to someone in a variety of ways.  Take the chance to do something that isn’t your norm if you see the opportunity before you.  You may come away feeling that the moment was actually for you.

The King is on the move.  The Kingdom is still growing and remarkable things are happening.  Although people often flock to conferences and seminars and big events, many of us have been deeply touched by one person who was willing to be there for us at a crucial moment with a word or action that had been crafted by the Father just for us.  We are surrounded by opportunities every day to bring hope, to share the treasure of His promises, to tell our stories of HIs care to those who are unsure, who have never heard what He has already done, or who may be struggling in a myriad of ways.  

 

You have to receive the seed before you can have it grow in your own life and the best seeds to share are the ones that have been produced by the plant that has grown in you, has come to some maturity by time and faith, and has developed seed for another generation.

Photograph from morguefile.com by GaborfromHungary