A Kingdom Truth

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

Jesus often said, “He who has ears, let him hear.” When I read those words, I get the impression that the Savior wants me to pay attention. Something important has been said, or is going to be said. So I perk up and take notice.

But I also remember words that my earthy Father used to say, “Words are cheap.” There’s truth to that too. How does hearing a few words heal heartache? How will they help a marriage that has turned sour? Can they really help a business that is drowning in red ink? The sick? The lonely? The guilty?

Jesus painted a picture with His words in Mark 4. He held up a seed and said that a farmer doesn’t know how a tiny seed grows, but it does, with or without his knowledge. “This is what the kingdom of God is like,” He said. Then He took a smaller seed, a mustard seed, and contrasted it with large plant with branches big enough to handle birds sitting on them. Seeds are small when planted, yet they produce harvests and large plants.

What a great example of the Word of God planted in your heart! Jesus didn’t offer these farming examples to broaden your understanding of agriculture or horticulture. He intended to plant kingdom truth in your heart. His Word, like a seed, doesn’t seem like much. But it is the power of God! Paul said, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes” [Romans 1:16].

Just think. His Word, the Gospel, is the power of God. Because of that, He sprouts faith, grows faith, and fills your life with faith. Like a tiny seed that grows, the Word of God fills your life with the bounty of His fruit, and makes your limbs strong. 

He who has ears, let him hear!

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.” 30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed you plant in the ground. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds of the air can perch in its shade.”  Mark 4:26-32