Mark 4 -Producing 30, 60, Even 100 Times as Much!

The word of God has been sown... if you are reading this blog the mysteries of the Kingdom have probably been told to you(seeds have been planted in your life)... So take warning of the things that make the harvest unfruitful in Mark 4. My parents own a tree farm. So, I have learned a lot about harvesting through the many years that I have watched them manage the farm. They have to plant so many seeds preparing for the harvest. A Christmas tree actually grows only a foot a year approximately. So, they plan for 6, 7, even 8 years down the road when the trees will actually be ready. Then every year there is work to be done. Every year the trees have to be shaped a little to help them grow into beautiful trees. And, then there are many crops lost. Through drought or animals or weeds or poor soil, many trees are lost.

Your heart is like a Christmas tree. It needs water and nourishment. It needs to be placed in setting where it is least likely to lose its fruitfulness. And, you have the ability to choose your soil. You have the ability to pull out weeds. You have the ability to make your roots sink deep in the word(psalm 1). You are without excuse. Prepare yourself for the harvest. The theologian Jonathan Edwards said it like this, "Endeavor to promote spiritual appetites by laying yourself in the way of allurement." This means set yourself up for fruitfulness. Lay yourself in the way of allurement. Put yourself in situations that will water your soul. Listen to sermons on your ipod, read old christian authors, study the word fervently, worship often, retreat to solitude to pray, and whatever else you can think of to help the seed of the Word to multiply 30, 60, even 100 times as much!

Be warned of the things that kill the seed. Satan can easily take away the word sown in you when you don't sink your roots in. Listening to one sermon a week will not suffice! God has blessed you with the ability to read his Word every day. Some people will never hold a bible in their hands. You have one on your nightstand or your shelf. Use it! Sink your roots in. (psalm 1) If you don't have that depth in your relationship with God than you will be uprooted by the storms of life. Verse 17 says "when" not "if" troubles come. When troubles come if your roots aren't sunk into the Word, then you will quickly fall away. Persecution and trouble will come. Be prepared to fight it with the Word.

Do not let the worries of the life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke out the word. (vs 19) Satan wants to use those things to crush your faith. Fight those urges with an eternity mindset! Fight the fight with the sword of the Word. Do not worry about your life! If you give up your life you will gain it (Matthew 16:25) ... Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:19) Do not love the world or anything in the world. (1 John 1:15) Keep your mind focused on eternity and God will grant you the grace to overcome. To him who overcomes he will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. (Rev. 2:7) I want you to bear fruit. I want you to succeed! Please, put yourself in situations that will nurture and water your soul. And God will make you produce such a great harvest!