Mark 4:26 And he said, So is the kingdom of God,
as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27 And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring
and grow up, he knoweth not how. 28 For the earth bringeth forth fruit
of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29 But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the
sickle, because the harvest is come.
Jesus shared ways that God works in our lives with illustrations using the common parable. He took the same pattern used in nature and applied it to our souls. What works in nature works for the heart. God wants to take care of us inside as he does outside.
The kingdom of God is something we are so acquainted with. The Lord used something we are very acquainted with to teach us a lesson. The very miracle we enjoy this time of year has been around since the creation of the world. It's our garden. Just a few weeks ago things were just seeds and now we are eating them. We watered them in the evening; we'd go on to bed and get up the next morning not really paying attention to what was going on underground. We tended it and all of a sudden the tomatoes are red, the squash is ready.
Is the Lord speaking? Convicting? Are we making excuses? Is the seed working? Do we try to go on through the day with attempts to ignore it? The seed is the grace of God speaking to us through the word and Spirit of God. It's time to fix up. Is it time to do something? Is it time to quit doing something? Is it something in our personal life? Do we need to move up? Are we hiding sin? How do we treat others? How are we treating our own soul? Is the seed of conviction there? Is the fruit getting ripe? If it's not picked, it will rot on the vine.
We have a God who deals with us. We have a God who stirs our heart. We have a God who disturbs us. Ripe fruit doesn't call for us to pick it. The tomatoes don't tell us when to pick them. We know they need to be picked. We need God's help. We need him to speak to us and show us the way. We don't want God to let our vine dry up. Dealing without chastisement is evidence that we don't have God in our heart. So, if it's there–what is God dealing with us about?
His secret message is that the kingdom of God is like a sower whose seeds are suddenly ripe. The working has been going on. The fruit needs to be picked. We need to deal with it and answer the bidding of God. His secret work always results in a change; let's make it a change for the better.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 