Flowers in God’s Garden!

Mark 4:3-9 (NKJV)The Parable of the Sower
“Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And it happened, as he sowed, that some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground, where it did not have much earth; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up it was scorched, and because it had no root it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns; and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.” And He said to them, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Our Lord calls us to plant seeds. These are the seeds of the Gospel. It is our job to plant, to water and to fertilize but it is God, by His Holy Spirit, the gives the increase. It is He who makes them grow.

The parable of the sower speaks about sharing the good news with people. Some will listen and some won’t but we are called to share. I take that call seriously. I try to spread the good news wherever I go. Sometimes, I think I spend too much time with others and not enough looking after my own.

I was looking at my garden. It is a sad state of affairs. There are weeds everywhere. I look around and see other people’s gardens and lawns and they are neat and well trimmed. I know we are not supposed to compare ourselves to others but it is human nature. Then I got to thinking. I spend time on things that matter more to me and to Him. Instead of hours in the garden, I am investing in what’s better.

VBS Sports Camp happened a few weeks ago and I spent the week with 122 kids and 100+ teenage volunteers. I was there in the morning to greet them and hung out encouraging them all through the day. I spent time with the teen leaders helping them navigate through challenges they had not faced before. With a little coaching, they did very well. I could have worked in my garden pulling weeds. My house would look better now.

Then it hit me! I am not tending my garden. I am tending God’s garden. If I pull weeds in my garden, they will return in a week. If I plant seeds in God’s garden, the will bloom into eternity. So it’s My Garden vs. God’s garden. Which should I choose? Thursday at VBS is commitment day. That is the day when we ask the kids if they want to enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ. During Bible time, the Gospel Message is presented and the kids are asked if they want to accept Jesus as their friend and invite Him into their hearts. It was my privilege to speak with the second and third graders and pray with those who decided to accept the invitation. Sixteen kids stood up to go with us to learn more and pray to receive Jesus. All sixteen prayed the prayer that day. I guess you could say there were sixteen new flowers in God’s garden. These flowers can go on to change the world for the better. I made an investment that will pay dividends for the Kingdom into eternity. The weeds will always be there. But the Angels are singing for the sixteen. And who knows that those sixteen will not remember their time at VBS when they met their Lord and take vacation time to participate at VBS in the future. Then they too will add flowers to God’s garden. It may yield a hundred fold. Praise God! So, today, why not go and plant seeds in God’s garden yourself? The growth may amaze you.

Lord, thank You for the honor of sharing You with others. Thank You for the opportunity to serve the kids and lead them to know You. You call us to make disciples. Give us the words we need to say and the opportunity. Open hearts and minds to hear the message. Draw people to You. The heavens declare Your glory. Help us to do the same and share that glory with everyone we meet. In Your name we pray.

For more insight, read Mark 4:1-20

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