A sower sows seeds.

 Mark 4: 3-28 -  Jesus said "Listen. Look! the sower went out to sow.  As he was sowing, some seeds fell alongside the road, and the birds came and ate them up.  Others fell on rocky ground where there was not much soil, and they immediately sprang up because the soil was not deep. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.  Other seeds fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them, and they yielded no fruit. But others fell on the fine soil, and growing up and increasing, they began to yield fruit, and they were bearing 30, 60 and 100 times more."  


Jesus explains - 

Mark 4: 14 - The sower sows the word.  These, then, are the ones alongside the road where the word is sown; but as soon as they have heard it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Likewise, these are the ones sown on rocky ground; as soon as they have heard the word, they accept it with joy.  Yet they have no root in themselves, but they continue for a time; then as soon as tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, they are stumbled.  There are still others that are sown among the thorns.  These are the ones who have heard the word, but the anxieties of this system of things and the deceptive power of riches and the desires for everything else make inroads and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Finally, the ones that were sown on the fine soil are those who listen to the word and favorably receive it and bear fruit- 30, 60 and 100 times more."  


This passage is really interesting to me and, to be honest, I have had seeds fall in rocky ground and in the thorns in my life. But reading his explanation I love how Jesus explains this illustration and how it can be true even today for us.  It can be easy to read the word of God in joy and excitement and when it gets difficult when lets say people disagree or ridicule us for following the word, to stumble.  Then I wonder are we reading the word but missing Gods love in the word and so instead seeking it elsewhere?  It can be easy to let the deceptive power of riches and desires become just as or more important than our time with God and reading and listening to the word, especially in a world that puts so much value on what we have, what we look like, how many likes we have, instead of who we are.   And when the foundation is based in Gods word and his love, then we have fine soil and can bear fruit.  

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