"This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain-first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." —Mark 4:26-29
I spent the latter half of my childhood growing up in Iowa, watching and learning from the local farmers. Year after year, they invested everything they owned to purchase seed. Without hesitation, they would "bet the farm." They had more faith in the law of seedtime and harvest than most church goers have in giving and receiving. Some of these men weren't even Christians, but because of their experience, they had developed great confidence in this God-initiated system of reproduction.
Why did these men do this year after year? Because it worked. Many of these hard working men and women grew up seeing their fathers work long, hard hours to get their seed in the ground. Then, they watched as their parents would breathe a sigh of relief while they waited for the soil, sun and rain to work to bring about the harvest. I can only imagine the puzzled look on the children’s faces as they would look at the same empty field about which their parents were so excited.
Could it be that their parents knew something they didn't? As they stared at freshly plowed, but empty, fields, their parents were envisioning acres full of soybeans or corn. An inexperienced child could only see the black dirt, but a seasoned farmer could see a bumper crop. These young, future farmers were watching faith in action.
People should be watching us with the same questions in their minds. “What are they looking at? What do they see?” When others look at us and hear our words, they should be witnessing our faith in action. They should be learning how to step out and plant their own seeds of faith into the rich soil of their lives.
Whether it is regarding salvation, prosperity or healing, our lives should demonstrate faith in God’s Word. Where most people would say that a person is hopeless, you should see a man rising again and living victoriously. Where others would say, “Brother, you better write your will,” you look ahead to see a long and satisfying life. When the doctor looks at the test and declares you only have 4 to 6 months to live, you say, “No. I will live and not die.”
Not only must we begin seeing situations according to the Word of God, but we must also be sure to surround ourselves with like-minded people. We've got to be around people who don’t just look at the natural, but can see things through the eyes of the Spirit. You don't have to understand how divine healing, protection or prosperity work in the kingdom of God. You just have to have enough confidence in it to step out into the unknown. If a natural farmer would invest his entire life savings every year into a natural law, what are you willing to invest in the divine laws of the kingdom of God? Scriptural Context Mark 4:26-32 Concept Reinforcement For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. —Romans 8:24-25
We live by faith, not by sight. —2 Corinthians 5:7
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
—Hebrews 11:1
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