The Power Is In The Seed
As I read in the gospel of Mark I notice words that jump off the pages at me. Words like "amazed" and "authority". The people hearing Jesus speak were amazed because He spoke with such authority. I think how sad that their own teachers were so caught up in enforcing the Law that they disregarded the intent of God's precious Words in the OT. The people were not amazed with their own teachers and they lacked authority.
Then the words "listen", "hear", and "ears" stand out. In Chapter 4, verse 3, Jesus starts the Parable of the Sower with the word "Listen" and ends it in verse 9 by saying "He who has 'ears' to 'hear' let him 'hear'." As He explains the parable to the disciples I notice at the end of verse 20 He says: "Others, like seed sown on good soil, 'hear' the word, accept it, and produce a crop."
Then again in verse 24 He says: "Consider carefully what you 'hear'." So obviously listening with our ears and hearing what Jesus has to say is VERY important!
But then I get to verse 26 and I read the Parable of the Growing Seed. I take pause as if this is the first time I've read these verses. I looked at my study notes and read that only Mark includes this parable in his gospel and I believe he put it there for me to read this morning. I love how something written over 2000 years ago is pertinent for today and how the Holy Spirit can give it to the reader who is very much in need of "hearing" those exact words.
Every Wednesday at AWANA I co-teach the Bible lesson for the T&T, 3rd through 6th grade girls. It is a privilege to share God's Word with these gals and I feel the weight of "getting it right" so as not to lead them astray. Many of them have no frame of reference to the stories in the Bible - stories all of us have grown up on - did you get that NO FRAME OF REFERENCE. They don't know Noah and the Ark, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Joseph and his coat of Many Colors, or even NT themes and characters as a basis to build on. We get about 40 minutes total to pray with them, try to get to know them, teach them a lesson, and help them learn a Bible verse which needs to be explained to girls with no context in which to understand the verse they are being asked to memorize. I agonize over how to make the lesson meaningful and how to get the WORD into their hearts.
This Wednesday our memory verse was the AWANA theme verse from 2 Timothy 2:15 - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth." Yeah - that's right - that's the verse. First of all, I never learned it that way and now I need to memorize it in the NIV version and then try to explain what it mean to "correctly handle" the word of truth. The night is over and I leave there praying that God uses the words I spoke and plants it in their hearts helping them to understand. I am feeling very small and unworthy. But God knows what I need and as I read our daily portion of scripture on Thursday morning He tenderly points out to me that the Power is in the Seed - His Word. I am just the mouthpiece. "This is what the Kingdom of God is like..." the farmer plants the seed and then goes to bed. He rests - knowing the seed is now on its own to do the miracle work that only it can do. The farmer trusts HIS God to warm the soil with the sun, send the rain which he created and then watches the seed grow into a plant, bearing fruit and a great harvest.
So I look at those girls in a new way. They are our disciples - broken, flawed humans just like the first disciples. I call them to "listen" every Wednesday and ask God to open their "ears" to "hear" and I will trust Him that the "seed" that was planted in them will grow into a great harvest for His glory. And I thank God for inspiring Mark to write these words so I could 'hear" them and understand that the Power truly is in the Seed.
-Kathy Ridge
Then the words "listen", "hear", and "ears" stand out. In Chapter 4, verse 3, Jesus starts the Parable of the Sower with the word "Listen" and ends it in verse 9 by saying "He who has 'ears' to 'hear' let him 'hear'." As He explains the parable to the disciples I notice at the end of verse 20 He says: "Others, like seed sown on good soil, 'hear' the word, accept it, and produce a crop."
Then again in verse 24 He says: "Consider carefully what you 'hear'." So obviously listening with our ears and hearing what Jesus has to say is VERY important!
But then I get to verse 26 and I read the Parable of the Growing Seed. I take pause as if this is the first time I've read these verses. I looked at my study notes and read that only Mark includes this parable in his gospel and I believe he put it there for me to read this morning. I love how something written over 2000 years ago is pertinent for today and how the Holy Spirit can give it to the reader who is very much in need of "hearing" those exact words.
Every Wednesday at AWANA I co-teach the Bible lesson for the T&T, 3rd through 6th grade girls. It is a privilege to share God's Word with these gals and I feel the weight of "getting it right" so as not to lead them astray. Many of them have no frame of reference to the stories in the Bible - stories all of us have grown up on - did you get that NO FRAME OF REFERENCE. They don't know Noah and the Ark, Daniel in the Lion's Den, Joseph and his coat of Many Colors, or even NT themes and characters as a basis to build on. We get about 40 minutes total to pray with them, try to get to know them, teach them a lesson, and help them learn a Bible verse which needs to be explained to girls with no context in which to understand the verse they are being asked to memorize. I agonize over how to make the lesson meaningful and how to get the WORD into their hearts.
This Wednesday our memory verse was the AWANA theme verse from 2 Timothy 2:15 - "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and correctly handles the word of truth." Yeah - that's right - that's the verse. First of all, I never learned it that way and now I need to memorize it in the NIV version and then try to explain what it mean to "correctly handle" the word of truth. The night is over and I leave there praying that God uses the words I spoke and plants it in their hearts helping them to understand. I am feeling very small and unworthy. But God knows what I need and as I read our daily portion of scripture on Thursday morning He tenderly points out to me that the Power is in the Seed - His Word. I am just the mouthpiece. "This is what the Kingdom of God is like..." the farmer plants the seed and then goes to bed. He rests - knowing the seed is now on its own to do the miracle work that only it can do. The farmer trusts HIS God to warm the soil with the sun, send the rain which he created and then watches the seed grow into a plant, bearing fruit and a great harvest.
So I look at those girls in a new way. They are our disciples - broken, flawed humans just like the first disciples. I call them to "listen" every Wednesday and ask God to open their "ears" to "hear" and I will trust Him that the "seed" that was planted in them will grow into a great harvest for His glory. And I thank God for inspiring Mark to write these words so I could 'hear" them and understand that the Power truly is in the Seed.
-Kathy Ridge
Thank you Kathy. Thank you for the weight and value you place on those souls. Sowers we will be, and as the seed lands, we pray that it falls on good soil. Maybe we could offer more, a session outside of the regular box, to meet these souls who wonder after God's story. Thanks.
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