Daily Devotional for Monday, September 11

The Parable of the Sower

“And he began again to teach by the sea side: and there was gathered unto him a great multitude, so that he entered into a ship, and sat in the sea; and the whole multitude was by the sea on the land. And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine, hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow,” Mark 4:1-3.

Throughout His earthly ministry, Jesus seized certain opportunities to sit with large crowds and teach them about His kingdom. Speaking to a farming culture, Jesus used an illustration that would connect deeply into their hearts and help them understand the methods of His kingdom.

A prominent detail that has long struck me is how the farmer seems to sow the seed constantly and indiscriminately. We picture the farmer walking steadily through the fields which he has prepared and reaching into his bag to cast the seed generously. Much seed is cast across the prepared soil but only a small portion of the seed takes root and grows.

If we are to understand that Jesus is instructing Christians how to share the gospel, then we must listen carefully to every detail. If we are to evangelize as the farmer did, we must faithfully nurture every relationship we have for the purpose of sharing the gospel. As we interact with friends and neighbors, we should seize every chance we have to tell them the good news. Some will ignore the message, some will ponder the message, and some will receive the message and be saved.

FINAL THOUGHT: Sharing the gospel is the joyful task of every Christian. We must consistently, generously and strategically share the message that Jesus saves!

Steven Ridings