Are You A Sower?

                Yesterday at church, our pastor taught on the Parable of the Sower. I have heard this parable taught, have read this parable and thought I knew it pretty good. But yesterday my heart was open and the Lord showed me something that I had never considered before. Most of us when we read the parable of the sower we understand that it is about a sower (farmer) who goes out and plants his crops. Some of the seed falls on the wayside, some falls on the rocks, some in thorns and some into good soil where it grows up and produces a harvest. But the question that I was faced with yesterday is the same question I am still hearing today, “Am I a Sower?”

                “On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.” Matthew 13:1-2

                The crowds are gathered together, waiting to hear what Jesus is going to teach. As I read these words I saw a field of soil before Jesus. He is the True Sower. A sower is one who sows seeds, and from the spiritual perspective it is the one who through teaching and preaching sows the seeds of the Word of God. You could say that a pastor or a preacher is a sower. They teach and preach the Word of God, scattering the seeds into the fields before them.

                “Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying, ‘Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth, and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. But some fell on good ground and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:3-9

                Sitting before Jesus was a field of various soils. Some of the seeds He just sowed fell by the wayside, meaning that some of them did not understand what He was teaching and the wicked one came and snatched it away from them. Some of the words that He spoke fell into the rocky hearts of those gathered. They received what He said and it made sense to them, but because they had no root, no depth in their understanding when the trials of life came, they withered away and died. Some of the words He spoke fell into thorns, and the cares of the world choked out what He was teaching them. And lastly, some of the seeds that Jesus sowed that day fell into the hearts of those who understood the word, and it took root, began to grow and produced fruit.

                Jesus wasn’t focused on the type of soil the seed was falling into; He was concerned about the harvest. Before Him sat a multitude of hearts, all eager to hear what He wanted to teach them, but not all of them with ears to hear Him. Some of the seeds He scattered that day would produce a harvest, but Jesus understood that the power of the harvest was in the seed, not in the soil. We talk to people about Jesus, we teach, we preach, we discuss, we scatter our seeds and then become discouraged when nothing happens. But the sower did not get frustrated, because he understood that not every seed that was scattered would take root and grow. But that did not stop him from sowing.

                Jesus knew the hearts of the people that were sitting before Him. He knew that some would receive His words and would produce a harvest, but He also knew that some would amount to nothing at all. We must do as Jesus did; we must take the example that Jesus has given and sow anyway. In Matthew 28:18-19 Jesus tells us to “Go out and make disciples”, He does not say sit in Church on Sunday and then put My Words aside on Monday. No, He wants us all to be sowers, sowing the seeds of His word to a lost and broken world.

                As I pondered on what our pastor taught yesterday, I had to ask myself if I too was a sower. I write this blog for the entire world to see, and it is my daily prayer that the seeds of God’s word will be sown into the hearts of all who read it. But it is not up to me to make the seed grow or to make sure it falls into good soil- that is the part of the hearer. All Jesus is asking me to do is sow the seeds of His words into the hearts of others, the seed has the power to yield and produce a harvest to Him. All I need to do is sow.

                So, ask yourself today, are you a sower? Are you sowing the seeds of God into the hearts of others? Are we more focused on making sure the seed falls into good soil, instead of just sowing. We all know that God’s word does not return void. The power of the seed is not from us, it is not how we sow it that makes it grow, because the seed has all the power it needs to grow. All we need to do is sow the seeds and let the Lord grow the harvest.  Are you sowing the seeds of God? Jesus shows us that He sowed, even though He knew the hearts of the people before Him, He still sowed, because He knew the power of His word and the power it has in the hearts of those who hear His words. Just sow, don’t worry about the soil, just sow and let the Lord reap the harvest.

                I pray these words today will be sown into the hearts of all those who read it, and that the power of His Word will take root and produce a harvest to His glory, forever and ever. Amen and Amen.