Same Seed, Different Results
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It has been a sweet and sour experience for me since I started sharing daily devotionals on Whatsapp a few years back. The reactions varied greatly.
They include responses like:
“Awwww, thanks. I needed this!” or, “Amen! I needed this.” or “That was so timely. God bless you!” or “So true.God bless you!” or “Thank you and God bless you!”or “Amen” or “Hallelujah!”
But the response I get most is clasped hands, indicating “Thank you!”
On the other side, I also got comments like,
“Please I don’t accept messages like this on my timeline.” Another one also said, “All you do is post long long posts!”
Then I also have those who actually read devotionals online; like on the ODB website, but still enjoy reading my WhatsApp friendly formatting. Then there are those who just enjoy the stories that accompany the devotionals, and there are also those who can just relate to my Afro centric stories.
Then there are those who actually send me material they feel would help me in preparing the devotionals; and there are also those who correct my spellings, and my general use of the English language. Then there are those who actually write devotionals for me, most of which I publish once they meet the general criteria of “Testimony; Lesson about God; and Edification.” There are also a few who sought to publish the devotionals on other media, which I happily agreed to.
Sometimes the posts also ignite conversations that lead to healthy discourse, prayer, counseling, and support.
Then I have my greatest audience! Those who read quietly and pass no comment. I got to know about this group on the few occasions that I slacked, and some of them sent messages asking me for the devotionals!
I also know there are some who simply skip, ignore, or quietly delete my posts!
And I know there are many more I have not spoken about, like those who remove me from groups for posting devotionals!
I wish to thank everyone, especially on this occasion of introducing the “Testimony Devotional Website”; and to let you know that, you don’t have to give up!
People will react to what you do in different ways because we are different people, coming from different places, with different challenges, operating in different environments and with different aspirations, fears, hopes, and faiths!
Characteristic of Jesus, He illustrated this phenomenon using one of the predominant professions in ancient Palestine; Farming.
READ Luke 8:4-15
“And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: “A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand.’“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time oftemptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. (Luke 8:4-15 NKJV)
This parable, more known as the “Parable of the sower” but also called “Parable of the soils” is also recorded in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20.
Whiles the accounts vary, the core message is the same: A sower went out to sow seeds. Some fell by the roadside and were quickly picked up by birds. Some fell on rocks, with a bit of sand, so they germinated quickly and started growing, but when the sun started scorching them, they withered and quickly died, because they don’t have deep roots. Then there were those that fell in thorns and the thorns outgrew them and choked them to death! But some also fell on good grounds, and brought forth fruit. Some a hundred fold, some thirty fold and some sixty fold!
Jesus, after justifying why He uses parables, then explained the parable to His disciples saying:
“When someone hears the word of God but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart! This is what was sown along the path!
For the one sown on rocky ground, this is someone who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. Yet he has no root in himself so endures for a while. But when tribulation and persecution arises on account of the word, he immediately falls away.”(This is the most tragic!)
For the one sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful! And the one sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and he indeed bears fruits and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty and in another thirty!
The scenarios above, about the devotionals I post, closely mimic this parable by the greatest teacher ever to live! There are those who immediately dismiss the word of God. Then there are those who receive it joyfully, but go no further to meditate and reflect on the scriptures. For such, when trial and tribulations occur, they tragically fall away! What a waste! Then there are those whose care for the things of this world – wealth, jobs, power, authority, splendor – makes them not receptive to the word of God. These are the people who think the church is after their money! Or they are too busy to care about religion, or they are “OK” and don’t need God!
But the good news is that there are those that hear the word, accept the word and bear fruit! And the fruit they bear, hundredfold, sixty fold and thirty fold! Calculating based on equal proportions, the yield is at least 15 times what the sower set out with, and at least 60 times what fell on the good ground!
There are great life lessons in this parable; lessons that tell us that not everything we do will be successful; but when the success comes, it is resounding! So we should not give up!
People are bound to react to you in different ways; but how you react to them determines whether you progress towards your vision, or retrogress.
Keep sowing, keep varying the tactic, keep being innovative and creative; and above all keep praying! Do you notice how Jesus concluded the explanation with “and bear fruit with patience.”?
One of these days, your patience will pay off; and your seed that fall on good ground will give you a great harvest!
MEMORY VERSE
“But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” (Luke 8:7)
QUESTIONS
1. Are you tired, and thinking of giving up?
2. Why not trust God, and be patient? Your harvest is coming, and will be plenty!
PRAYER TIP
Lord Almighty, I pray for those who are about to give up. Please reveal yourself to them, and let them know they are still in your plans for a good harvest.
Written by:
BENNY MALM
For:
TESTIMONY DEVOTIONAL
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