“Scatter Seed On The Ground”

He also said, “The kingdom of God is as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how. The earth produces of itself, first the stalk, then the head, then the full grain in the head. But when the grain is ripe, at once he goes in with his sickle, because the harvest has come.”

Mark 4:26-29

It has been proven that people go through a number of pre-conversion stages before stepping over the line of faith and receiving Jesus Christ as their Savior.

When we hear individuals share their conversion experience, we may conclude that faith happened all at once. But their salvation frequently carries an extended back story of spiritual pilgrimage before they made that decision. They needed time to reflect on the gospel. For them, coming to the Savior was a process. This is similar to the farming process. Fields are plowed. Seeds are sown. Water is applied. Months of waiting come to an end. Many things happen for good and bad in the meantime. Finally, workers stream into the fields to help with the harvest. One of our Lord’s parables illustrates how faith – like a crop – needs time to develop. Responding to the gospel is like a seed that grows first in the blade, then the head, and then full grain. Ultimately the harvest comes in.

Because people may need time and multiple exposures to the gospel before they are ready to make a decision, we need to be sensitive to where they are in their faith-journey. In the meantime, we can cultivate spiritual interest, pray for them, and wait for the harvest.

We sow the seed – God produces the harvest.

Our Daily Bread – February 23, 2009