The Word of God is perhaps the most precious thing that anyone could ever have. Consider for a moment what the Word of God does in us and for us. In various places in the scriptures, the Word is said to do so many different things. This list is just from one chapter in the Bible. Psalm 119 tells us many things the Word of God will do.
It will keep us from sin.
It will make us wiser than our enemies.
It will help us to have more insight than our teachers.
It will help us to understand more than the aged.
It will provide light and direction for our path.
It brings liberty to our lives.
It brings comfort in our afflictions.
It brings us great peace.
SOWING GOD’S SEEDS
It is no wonder that we are told to study the Word, meditate on the Word, memorize the Word, believe the Word, obey the Word, order our steps in the Word, and live according to the Word. All of these admonitions are important and all are for our benefit. The Word of God should be central in our lives, shaping and forming us in Godliness. But we are also told to do something else with the Word of God, and it is something that we may not do with appropriate intentionality.
In Matthew 13, Jesus shares two stories about someone who sows good seed. In one story He says the Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed, but an enemy came in and sowed bad seed in the same field. There was both good and bad in the field, but in the end, there was a harvest. Just before He told that story, Jesus also told a story about a man who was called a “sower.” He was someone who sowed seed. The particular seed which He sowed was to represent the Word of God. The same story in Mark and Luke make it plain that the sower sowed the seed of the Word of God. In this story, the seed that was sown was good seed, but it was not always sown in good soil. Again, there were times in which there was bad mixed with the good, but again, the sower received an abundant harvest.
NO SEEDS, NO HARVEST
There are several points of understanding and application for us in these stories, but one thing seems to be crystal clear. If there is no seed sown, there will be no harvest. We must be sowers of the Word of God! We can’t be distracted by what others may do, we can’t wait for perfect conditions, and we can’t be negligent, hesitant, or restrictive in our sowing. The Sower sowed the Word in all sorts of places. He sowed by the roadside, on rocky soil, among the thorns, and in the best of soil. He scattered the Word BROADLY. He was in no way hesitant or stingy with the precious seed that he had. He scattered the seed of the Word everywhere, so those in every situation could at least have a chance for the Word to take root and bring a harvest.
Everyone in every place needs the Word of God.
We are the ones who can offer the Word. We need to sow the Word anywhere and everywhere, and trust that it will not return void but will accomplish God’s purposes. This does not mean that we sow thoughtlessly, foolishly, or apart from prayer, but it does mean that we are intentional to sow the seed of the Word. Whether it is supporting work among unreached people groups, or bringing Christ to our workplace, school, neighborhood parties, and little league fields, we must be sowers of the Word. May Jesus say of us, “Behold, a sower went out to sow.”
As Lent commences on Ash Wednesday, we are entering a time of introspection and prayer leading to Easter. Let us reflect on the significance of death preceding resurrection, urging readers to embrace a daily practice of surrendering self in preparation for our spiritual transformation.