The Seed of Hope

A sower of seeds.

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it?  It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.” Mark 4:30-32

Have you ever seen a mustard seed? They’re tiny things.  The smallest is about 1mm, which is about a fourth of the size of a BB. What’s that? You’ve never seen a BB? Okay, the smallest of mustard seeds is 1/32 of an inch. If you can’t visualize 1/32 of an inch, and you don’t want to go through the trouble of checking a ruler, just rest assured that the seed isn’t very big at all. You okay with that? Good, then let’s move on.

In his parable, Jesus uses the tiny mustard seed to describe the kingdom of God, which at first glance doesn’t seem to be a good fit at all. After all, the mustard seed is so small, but God’s Kingdom? Wouldn’t you agree that it’s anything but small?

Perhaps Jesus drew his analogy from, not only the size of the mustard seed, but from the size and the strength of the shrub that the small seed becomes.

Still, what does one small seed have in common with the kingdom of God?

Let’s start with the mustard seed itself. It’s either planted in or falls on fertile soil, where it germinates for some time, before it sprouts and begins to take root in the ground as the plant itself bursts through the top layer of soil and begins to grow. As Jesus said, that small plant becomes the largest of all garden plants, offering even the birds of the air protective shade from the heat of the sun.

Okay, let’s take a look at God’s Kingdom. What is its origin? Does it grow from a seed? If it is a seed, then who plants it? And what happens to it?

The answer to one of these questions is found in Matthew 28:19.

“Therefore, go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”

In essence, what Jesus is telling us is that as Disciples of Christ, we are to go out and “sow seeds” for the Kingdom of God. What kind of seeds?

Well, these seeds aren’t tangible; you can’t see or touch them, but ironically enough, they do carry weight. The seeds we’re talking about here are our words and thoughts about God and Christianity that we pass along to others.

You are called to plant a tiny seed of hope in the hearts and minds of all that you meet. It is the hope of God’s Promises, the hope of His Word, the hope of His Son, the hope of Salvation, the hope of being filled with His Spirit, and the hope of a new life when we’re born in Him.

God has equipped you to be a sower of seeds, to help grow His Kingdom. At some point in your life, someone took the time to plant a seed in you. Look at what it has become, at what you have become. Don’t you want to do the same for someone else?

FEAR

Fear may be defined as “being afraid or apprehensive of a person, place, thing, or situation.” Fear is also associated with the unknown. Fear paralyzes us, distorts the truth, prevents us from living out God’s purpose for us, and in many cases, ruins our lives.

We’re told in Proverbs 1:7 that Fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge. It’s true; fear of the Lord is indeed the beginning of knowledge and wisdom, but in our walk with the Lord, that’s as far as fear goes. You see, fear is not of the Lord. God didn’t create us to walk with a spirit of fear, but with boldness, especially when it comes to our faith in Him.

First, let’s define the source of fear that’s the topic of this post.

If you’re staring down the wrong end of a gun barrel or sitting in an automobile that’s veered off of the road and is teetering on the edge of a cliff, it would be quite natural for you to scared stiff. In fact, I’d question your sanity if you weren’t fearful in those situations!

The fears that I’m focusing on here are the subtle fears that sneak their way into our minds. I’m talking about fears concerning finances, careers, relationships, health issues, and especially in the area of personal growth. We’re afraid to try, afraid to speak, afraid to share, afraid to love, afraid to live, and afraid to dream. We’re afraid to unload the burdens that we’re carrying on the inside with anyone, even though they’re eating away at us like a cancer.

Fear is not of the Lord. Fear is of the enemy, and it’s the most powerful and most often used tool in his arsenal.

You don’t have to walk with fear, you know. There’s a solution for fear, and it’s readily available, and it works. What is it?

It is prayer, coupled with belief.

David writes in Psalm 34:4:

I sought the LORD and he answered me;

       he delivered me from all my fears.

What’s that? You’re thinking, “Oh sure David. That’s easy for you to say, but I’m not you. I’ve been praying as hard as I can, but I have as much fear today as I had six months ago.”

Okay, how about believing the Word of God?

“You will call on me and pray to me and I will listen to you. I will be found by you,” declares the LORD…“and I will bring you back from the place to which I carried you into exile.” Jeremiah 29:14

Walking in fear is a state of exile, because fear separates us from God. When our fears have consumed us, and we’re at wits end, what we must do is turn to God and call out to Him.

Calling out…

I have to mention something here about the concept of calling out to God. If you arrived at your home to find out that it was on fire, would you calmly call 911 and ask for help in a meek and timid voice? Of course you wouldn’t. I don’t know about you, but I’m quite sure that I’d be anything but meek and timid. My voice would be filled with a sense of urgency, and I’d pleading for help, almost demanding it, with the expectancy that it was on the way.

So why is it that when we’re troubled by fear, anger, guilt, shame, doubt, unworthiness, or insecurity, and our lives seem to be going up in flames, that we call out to God in a whisper? Oh, I’m sure that there’s a sense of urgency, and we plead for help, but the expectancy is often missing, and so is the calling out!!!

Clarity

The source of many of our fears is the result of a lack of clarity. If we only had clarity, then we’d know the right choices to make and when to make them, right?

But get this: We’re not going to get clarity from God on anything until our fears are gone. You see, fear blinds our eyes, closes our ears, and muddles our minds. If you’re frozen by fear, God can’t help you even if He’s standing right in front of you! (No, I haven’t forgotten that He’s in us too.)

Ask God to remove the chains of fear, with the belief that He not only can, but will. And look. Don’t get discouraged if the fear isn’t gone the next day. Just keep asking Him to take it off of you, day after day, night after night, and prayer after prayer.

It’ll happen. That cancerous, paralyzing, life-robbing fear will be gone, and when it does, your life, and the way you live it, will never be the same.

Would you?

What do think your initial reaction would be to your best friend in the world telling you that today might be your last day here?

You’d probably be incredulous to the notion, wouldn’t you? Do you think that you’d laugh? Would you dismiss his proclamation with the wave of a hand, as if you were shooing a fly? Chances are that you might even blow him off verbally, with a short, sweet, sarcasm-laced, “Yeah sure, whatever. Prove it.”

But what if your best friend was never one to kid around, and had never told you anything but the absolute truth? What if he made an oath on his life that he was telling you the truth, and you knew in your heart that he was?

So if you believed that today really might be your last day, would you do anything differently than you’ve done in all of the days leading up to this one? Would you try to make a difference in the world, not necessarily for yourself, but for your family and friends? Would you try to pack as much into today as you possibly could? Would you try to really make today count, because it’s your last shot? Would you savor every moment of your last day here? Would you try to love more, live more, laugh more, and experience more than you ever have because, well, just because? Well, would you?

The truth of the matter is that your friend would be exactly right! This could very well be your last day.

Consider the words of Paul to the Thessalonians:

For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. 1Thessalonians 5:1-2 NLT

Doubting the words of Paul? How about the words of Jesus?

"But the exact day and hour? No one knows that, not even heaven's angels, not even the Son. Only the Father knows.” Matthew 24:36 NIV

At this moment you may be thinking, “That’s the end of times, when the people destined to be with God just disappear. It’s the Rapture. It won’t just be my last day, but of a lot of people.” You know what? You’d be absolutely correct.

So what’s the big deal?

It’s that today may very well be your last day here; just yours. You see, we’re never promised tomorrow. God doesn’t owe you another day here; not one. Everything that you have, even the air that you breathe, is by His grace. In fact, it may be His plan for you to be in heaven tomorrow. After all, who, other than God, knows?

So what do you do? Walk around with a sense of impending doom, saddened and burdened by the awareness that you might not be around? Tell everyone goodbye? Lock yourself up in a dark room?

NO, you don’t!

You offer each day to God. You try to make a difference in the world. You live every day to the fullest. You make today count, leaving nothing on the table. You love, and you laugh, and you live, and you experience all the life has to offer you today, both good and bad, with an “attitude of gratitude.” God gave you this day; not because He had to, but because He wanted to. This day, and every day, is a gift from Him, a manifestation of His love for you.

The day that the reality of “we’re never promised tomorrow” sunk into this thick skull of mine, my perception of each day, and my value of each day, changed dramatically. If you can wrap your mind around the notion that you may not have a tomorrow, the manner in which you live out this one, and all that follow, will change as well.