SOMETHING OF SIGNIFICANCE:
SOWING SEEDS IN YOUR GARDEN OF LIFE!
Scripture:
Luke 8:11
Jesus said: “This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the Word of God.”
Did you know that every day you use your words to plant seeds in your garden of life? Whether you realize it or not, You are a FARMER!
The Greek word used for seed in the New Testament is “sperma” which is the same as our English word, sperm! Recently I read “sperma” is mentioned 44 times in the New Testament in relation to WORDS SPOKEN!
This can be both encouraging and challenging as we learn to understand the power given to us by God to use our words for victory or defeat.
Solomon said it this way: “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its FRUIT.” NIV
Solomon, even before Jesus’ time, encouraged people to sow “Word Seeds” based on the life they wanted to experience and the fruitfulness they wanted to have!
We know in the natural that whatever seed you plant, whether it is for an orange tree, apple tree, etc., that is the exact fruit you will end up with!
Jesus was telling a parable about a FARMER in Luke 8: 5-15 who went out to sow his seed:
As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, where it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Others fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants.
He also explained in Mark 4:4 that the seeds along the path are those who hear, but the devil comes and takes away the WORD (seed) from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved.
(The devil does this through controversy, strife, afflictions, lies, etc., so the seed sown has a difficult time being rooted in a believer’s life.)
The seeds on the rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall away….
(We can see in this parable that frustration tries to take over and doubts about God’s faithfulness often surface when a delay in answered prayer or troubles arise after faith in God’s word has been released and people sometimes give up!)
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures, and they do not mature.
(Sometimes there is so much going on in peoples’ lives, God’s will and his promises can get “put on the back burner.”)
BUT the seeds that fell on the good soil represent honest, good-hearted people who HEAR God’s word, CLING to it, and PATIENTLY produce a HUGE HARVEST!
Jesus walked the countryside sharing truths about God’s kingdom in ways that people in their everyday lives could relate to. He was like a farmer in these parables sowing wisdom keys and insight by using different scenarios.
As we converse and associate with people God brings into our path, we can ask Him for wisdom keys that would open their hearts to have ears to hear words that have the potential to cause dynamic changes in their lives.
I remember many years ago riding through the countryside with my husband on our motorcycle and, as we crossed over a bridge just to the left was a store called B&Q that sold everything from building supplies to furniture and had over 300 stores throughout the UK. I felt a prompting in the spirit and tapped my husband on the shoulder and said: “I feel our products should be in those stores!” Those words resonated with him and he was prompted from the Lord to move immediately to make the necessary contacts at B&Q’s Head Office so that he could present our Company, which at that time was “a small kid on the block” by comparison. Undaunted and with bold faith, this Sales Call was the catalyst for exponential growth for our Company and, through the years changed not only our lives, but our families, employees and subsequently people and ministries, etc., that we have been able to bless and assist in many wonderful ways!
What if we had never acted, used excuses like, we are too small, don’t have the capital, etc.
Obviously, we were confident and continued to make every effort to have superb products and impeccable service so that we could supply these large retail stores, but had we not moved forward with the “word” promptings with lots of faith and diligence, we would have missed out on what God had for us big time! We would have missed out on a fabulous blessing and so many other people would have missed out too.
Jesus said, “The words (seeds) I speak are spirit and life!”
He was always mindful that his words carried “sperma” and He sowed them with faith for the harvest he desired.
What harvest would you like to experience in your life? Realizing you have potential faith seeds that you can plant in Jesus’ Name in your life’s garden has potential to change your life like ours was changed.
Farmers understand that different kinds of seeds have a set time for germinating, and it is important for us, as well, to be mindful that the faith seeds we plant EVERYDAY will produce at different times. Our part is to keep watering them with thanksgiving and diligence until we experience the harvests, we have been believing God for in Jesus’ Name!
There is another beautiful scenario, however, that can be experienced when we take into consideration that Jesus is the Lord of the harvests!
For instance, there was a need at a wedding Jesus and his family were attending and Jesus’ mother, understanding how her Son’s words changed things, said to Jesus: “They have no more wine…” His mother then turned to the servants and said: “Do whatever He tells you to do.” John 2:5
Let us look at what happened then:
The normal process required to produce wine, that included planting grape seeds, working through the growing season, pruning the vines, harvesting, bottling, and distributing were all BY-PASSED because the servants listened to very specific instructions and obeyed His words, and they ended up with the best wine ever according to the Master of the Banquet!
What is exciting about this is that we, as well, can believe God for “suddenly” happenings to meet a variety of needs at different times when we follow Jesus’ mother’s suggestion - “Whatever He says to you, do it!
The Bible is, of course, our “seed source” and as we follow His directives, even during challenging situations, His promises, will produce healing, health, prosperity, divine appointments, restoration and much more!
God spoke a special promise in Isaiah 55:11…”so is my Word that goes out of my mouth; IT will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”
This can also be a faith gift to us that we can believe the words we say will not return void but will accomplish our heart’s desire!
On the flip side, sometimes we are moved by painful or frustrating circumstances and situations that cause us to speak word “seeds” that are prompted by fear or anger. When this happens, we can release our faith to cancel those words, so they do not achieve the wrong result!
We can do this by utilizing Jesus’ promise in Matthew 18:18 “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”
This powerful promise offers you the opportunity to keep “weeds” from growing in your garden of life by binding the negative and then loosing or releasing the promises of God into the situation! This is important because we probably all have noticed that weeds grow and spread very rapidly and can quickly overtake the seeds that have been purposely planted!
So, being mindful that EVERYDAY we can participate in what our “garden of life” produces is such a wonderful blessing from the Lord! Just like a farmer anticipates fruitfulness from what he has planted when it is time for it to be harvested, we, too, as Solomon said can expect beautiful harvests from our” Word Seeds” especially when we become more intentional in what we are planting!
The Bible says in Genesis 8:22 “As long as the earth remains, there will be Seed - Time - and Harvest!”
May Blessings flow from the good seed you plant!
Diana
