More about the Seed

More about the Seed
Words of Faith 11-22-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Mark 4
[26] He also said, "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. [27] Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. [28] All by itself the soil produces grain‑‑first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. [29] As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come."

Just when we thought we had the Kingdom figured out-- hearing, accepting, and hard work‑‑ now Jesus points out something new. It is through another seed illustration. It seems that the Kingdom grows in the hearts of people regardless of our efforts.
We sometimes miss the fact that everything that is good and everything that is God comes because of Him. It is part of our human frailty that we like to take credit for the things that God has done and for which He is completely responsible. Like the seed that falls on good moist soil, there is little one can do to stop the Kingdom from growing‑‑ such is the miracle of God's Word.
This does not mean that we should not work in cooperation with the Lord as we are inspired and guided to cultivate the soil around us. He will use us to water the seed that has been planted. When the seed of the Word is put into our lives, yes, we must be open. Yes, we must receive it. But the real "work" of the Kingdom in us is the work of God.
The work of the Spirit is something He does in us. We tend to miss that. The work of transformation is God's work. It is more about watching what God is doing and not getting in His way than it is about working really hard for God.
Surprised? We really shouldn't be. All grace works in such ways. Grace, by its definition, is unmerited. "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith‑‑and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God‑‑ not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8‑9). Yes, we must cooperate with that grace. We must surrender to that grace. We must not rebel against this work of grace. But in the final analysis, all the work is His.
This is nothing new. The prophet Isaiah brings us the word of the Lord: "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it" (Isaiah 55:9-11).
The seed is His. The water is His. The seed grows. It does not return to Him empty-handed. So get ready.

Lord, help me to get out of Your way so that You can do Kingdom things in my life today. Help me to trust the power of Your Word and the rain of Your Spirit to water the soil you desire to transform. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2023 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.