Upper Room Daily Devotional "Gardeners Seeds of Faith" Thursday, 20 February 2014 Read Mark 4

Upper Room Daily Devotional "Gardeners Seeds of Faith" Thursday, 20 February 2014 ~ Read Mark 4:26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how. 28 For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
26 He said, “God’s Kingdom is as if a man should cast seed on the earth, 27 and should sleep and rise night and day, and the seed should spring up and grow, he doesn’t know how. 28 For the earth bears fruit: first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the fruit is ripe, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? 31 It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, 32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”30 He said, “How will we liken God’s Kingdom? Or with what parable will we illustrate it? 31 It’s like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, though it is less than all the seeds that are on the earth, 32 yet when it is sown, grows up, and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts out great branches, so that the birds of the sky can lodge under its shadow.”
Paul wrote, “Pray . . . for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel.”~~Ephesians 6:19 (NIV)
For ease of maintenance, the previous owners of our house had paved most of the rear garden. But we wanted a “proper garden” so we removed some of the paving blocks and filled the area with soil. We spent several weeks discussing how we wanted the plot to look but kept putting off planting day. As novice gardeners, we were nervous about putting a plant or bush in the wrong place. Finally, we bought several packets of flower seeds and just scattered them over the soil, hoping some of them would grow. In time we were rewarded with a carpet of beautiful colors and rich scents. One day while enjoying the garden, I was reminded that God calls us to plant seeds of faith. Often, instead of telling people about all the wonderful things God had done in my life, I remained silent because I worried about “getting it wrong.” But since I learned the lesson from my garden, I don’t delay in sowing the seeds of God’s word to anyone who will listen. Only by doing this can we ensure an abundant harvest of new believers.~~The Author~Margaret Skipworth (East Yorkshire, England)
Thought for the Day: Today, I will talk to a non-Christian friend about my faith.
Prayer: Dear God, please give us the courage — and the right words — to tell others about you. Amen.
Prayer focus: Gardeners
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