Comfort for God's Sowers
It seems like people are becoming increasingly hostile towards us whenever we try to share our faith. We may wonder, “Why are things going so poorly?” This is not a new frustration. The disciples were wondering the same thing during Jesus’ earthly ministry. God’s own Son was sharing His Gospel and yet most who heard did not truly believe. Jesus tells the parable of the sower in order to speak to why things seemed to be going so poorly. In the parable Jesus describes the different ways in which unbelievers react to his message. Through this parable and its explanation Jesus shows that the problem is sinful human hearts. Man’s heart is bad soil and the only thing that can cultivate it into good soil, soil ready to receive God’s word, is the work of the Spirit. It is pure grace that God sent His Son to save us and it is also pure grace that He prepared our hearts to believe in this good news. Even though it may seem like things are going poorly to us, God is still in control, His Spirit is at work. God does not promise that all will listen when we share the Gospel, but he does promise that some will, and they will be incredibly fruitful. It is in these promises that we find the strength to continue to share our faith with the world around us.