Mark Reading Plan – W4D3
Week 4 | Day 3 | Mark 4:26-29
Check out all the previous readings here.
Pray
As you come to the reading today, write down all the things that are troubling you, giving them to God. Then ask God to open your eyes and your ears to his Word
Bible Reading (read these verses three times slowly)
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Reflection & Questions
How does a seed grow? We don’t know. We can place it in soil. We can water it. Tend to it. Some even will talk to it! But ultimately, we don’t cause the seed to sprout. That’s a God thing.
It’s the same principle in the kingdom of God and the spread of the gospel. We can talk about it, demonstrate it, but ultimately, it’s only by God that it does. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God supplied the growth.”
This doesn’t mean we don’t share our faith, but it does mean we aren’t responsible for results. We trust those to God. This takes the pressure off of us in sharing our faith!
Sometimes we have a hard time knowing how to start sharing our faith with someone. One way that makes it easier is to ask permission. “Can I share something with you that’s really important to me?” This can open the door to a meaningful conversation about Jesus.
- How does Jesus’ parable take the pressure off of us in sharing our faith?
Pray
Pray for opportunities to share your faith with others this week.
Worship Song
Listen to this singer share the gospel…it’s a great act of worship and evangelism:
Bible Reading
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Reflection and Questions
How does a seed grow? We don’t know. We can place it in soil. We can water it. Tend to it. Some even will talk to it! But ultimately, we don’t cause the seed to sprout. That’s a God thing.
It’s the same idea when it comes to other people deciding to follow Jesus! We can talk about it, show it to them, but ultimately, it’s only God that can make it happen fully.
This doesn’t mean we don’t share our faith, but it does mean we aren’t responsible for every single person deciding to follow Jesus. We trust God for that This takes the pressure off of us when we are sharing our faith!
Sometimes, it can be hard to know how to start sharing our faith in Jesus with someone. One way that makes it easier is to ask permission. “Can I share something with you that’s really important to me?” This can open the door to a meaningful conversation about Jesus!
- Have you ever shared your faith in Jesus with someone? How did it go?
- What are some reasons that we don’t share our faith sometimes? Are we nervous? Embarrassed? Not sure how to?
Prayer
Pray for God to help you share your faith with people!
Bible Reading
He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”
Devo Focus
Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. (Vs27)
Devo
Did you ever have a teacher who showed you how to start a seed in a plastic bag with a wet paper towel? As a little kid, watching it start to grow in that bag was kinda like magic, right? Well, I hate to ruin it for you but it’s not actually magic. How does a seed grow? We don’t know. We can place it in soil. We can water it. Tend to it. Some even will talk to it! But ultimately, we don’t cause the seed to sprout. That’s a God thing. It’s the same principle in the kingdom of God and the spread of the gospel. We can talk about it, demonstrate it, but ultimately, it’s only by God that it does. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God supplied the growth. This doesn’t mean we don’t share our faith, but it does mean we aren’t responsible for results. We trust those to God. This takes the pressure off of us in sharing our faith! Sometimes we have a hard time knowing how to start sharing our faith with someone. One way that makes it easier is to ask permission. “Can I share something with you that’s really important to me?” This can open the door to a meaningful conversation about Jesus.
- How does Jesus’ parable take the pressure off of us in sharing our faith?
Prayer
Pray for opportunities to share your faith with others this week.
