Category: Practical Apps

Multi-fold Bounty

~ Sowmya Gali

Matthew 13: 8

And others fell on the good soil and yielded a crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty.

Mark 4: 8

Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.

When narrating the Parable of the Sower, Jesus Christ saved the best for the last: the seed that fell on the good soil. He likens the seed that fell into good soil to a man who hears the Word of God, understands it, bears fruit and brings forth a bountiful harvest (Matthew 13: 23). In all the three Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus mentions that a man who hears His words, understands them and practices them is the one who bears fruit resulting in a multi-fold harvest.

As an amateur gardener, I’ve noticed that if a seed has all the right conditions when it is sown, then it grows exactly as I’ve anticipated. Ensuring a nutrient rich soil, well drained soil and optimum temperature, enables a seed to grow well and thrive. I’ve experimented with certain variety of seeds, trying to grow them in the wrong season but still providing the right nutrients. Despite my best efforts, seeds didn’t sprout in off season. Even if they sprouted, they didn’t grow well enough. God has ingrained in those seeds’ DNA when and how they must grow.

When God’s Word is firmly planted in our hearts, if the conditions are right, then the seed does sprout, grow and thrive. When we receive the Word, how we deal with it matters the most. If it isn’t received well, if the right conditions are not provided and if the necessary nutrients are not supplied, then, the chance of the seed surviving in our hearts are slim to none. However, if our hearts are receptive to the Word when we hear, then it does sprout and grow.

When we receive the Word, understand and thrive, then we are bound to bear fruit. Jesus likens our lives to fruit bearing plants. Not just bearing but bringing forth a bountiful harvest. It is interesting to note that Jesus in the Matthew’s Gospel talks of the harvest in a descending order while in the Mark’s Gospel in the ascending order.

Matthew’s Gospel: hundred-fold, sixty-fold and thirty-fold

Mark’s Gospel: thirty-fold, sixty-fold and hundred-fold

In nature, we witness plants/crops bringing forth initially more and slowly the harvest dwindles down as the growing season draws to a close. At the same time, some plants/crops initially bear little but as the season is winding down, they put forth a bountiful harvest. Either way, there is a bountiful harvest.

How are our lives? Has the seed that was sown in our hearts received the right conditions for growth? Have we been bearing fruit? Did we bear just enough fruit for the Kingdom or did our lives bring forth a bountiful harvest that our barns are spilling over? Plants, at the end of the growing season, tend to bolt, which means their main focus is to produce seeds. It is their survival tactic for the next season. Seeds if they fall to the ground, they remain hidden until the right conditions are prevalent. Did our lives touch others’ lives that through us the seeds of God’s Word sown in their hearts are also bearing bountiful harvests?

Just as Jesus promised, if His Word is sown in a good soil, we will have to bear fruit. Not just enough but a bounty that spills over. We, as believers of Christ, must ensure that we provide the right conditions for the seed to grow, which means, that we must be in the Word constantly, drawing the nutrients from God. The more we draw from Him, the more we bear fruit.

Dear beloved, hope this series of articles on the Parable of Sower has inspired you to be rooted in the Word of God. No matter our circumstances, our lives bear witness if we are being fruitful or not. As my pastor gently reminds us on a regular basis, we must be fruit inspectors. First inspect fruit that we are bearing and then inspect fruit of others. As we continue to thrive in His Kingdom, may we constantly be nourished by the Living Word, may we firmly be planted by the Living Waters so that irrespective of the season, we will be evergreen fruit-bearing trees for His Kingdom and for His glory!

Choke Hold

~ Sowmya Gali

Matthew 13: 7

Others fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked them out.

Jesus, continuing the Parable of the Sower, mentions about the seed that fell among thorns. Even though these seeds found good soil, the thorns that grew around them were overpowering and didn’t allow the plants to thrive. They must have sprouted well alongside the thorns. The thorny bushes that grew alongside these plants dominate and push against them, crushing them in the process.

A BBC video about Giant Water Lily pads highlights the domineering effects of a thorny plant. It starts off as a seed the size of a pea deep in the murky waters of the Amazon bayou. As the sprouted stem surfaces, which is already armed with spikes and thorns all around, clears the surface with its giant thorny wand. Once the space is cleared, the leaf then unfolds. As its leaf unfolds, it clears, skewers and chokes any other plant growing nearby. Not only does this leaf cover the surface of the water by pushing away other aquatic plants but it even prevents any sunlight from penetrating underneath the surface to the plants that grow in the water. Additionally, the stem and the underside of the leaf is covered with spines that protect it from fish or other herbivores nipping at it. This giant water lily pad grows up to 10 feet in diameter and can hold up to 140 pounds of weight. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SM-Ilh2lHZk]

Just like the water lily pad that dominates and chokes out life from plants growing nearby, the worries of the world, the lure of the riches, and the distractions of the devil prick us, skewer us and eventually choke us. Despite the Word being sown in us, it has not developed fully to dominate and influence life around us. Instead, the choke holds of the world around us have dominated and influenced our lives. Even before we’ve gained strength, we have been snubbed. Even before we’ve grown some leaves, we have been choked. Even before we’ve blossomed, we have been skewered.

Matthew 13: 22And the one on whom seed was sown among the thorns, this is the man who hears the word, and the worry of the world and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

As God’s Word is sown in our lives, it is imperative that we sprout, grow, blossom and bear fruit. What good it is if that seed doesn’t sprout? It is as good as dead. Life’s struggles are difficult. Life’s cares are cumbersome. Life’s temptations are distractions. However, if our roots are established strongly in the Word of God, then the cares of the world and deceits of the world will not impede us from growing. We will experience such growth and fruitfulness that the once domineering and choking factors of our past will fade away as we grow towards the bright light of the Risen Son. The power of the Holy Spirit will break away any choke hold or any chain that has entrapped us. We are meant to grow, blossom and bear fruit. With willing hearts, God is so able to multiply us and flourish us.

Beloved, give chance to the seed that has been sown. Give room for growth. Don’t let the choke holds of this life and this world, skewer and ensnare you. God, the Sower will enable you to have such an influence around you that even the thorns about you will be turned into beautiful blossoms. Such is the might of our Lord and the influence of His power.