In the gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke is the parable of the sower which Jesus told to a large crowd of followers. He spoke of a farmer sowing seed and that some of the seed fell and was eaten by birds. Some fell on rocky ground and couldn’t produce good roots. Some grew alongside of thorns and were eventually crowded and choked, and some seed fell on good ground and grew well, producing a good yield.
Jesus was referring to the Word of God being sown into the hearts of people. In some, the Word is stolen from them before it can take root; in some the soil is so shallow and stoney that the seed sprouts but cannot sustain growth; in some the seed takes root and grows but is surrounded by things that strangle and kill it before it can bloom and produce a harvest. Finally, some seed is planted well and is nourished and flourishes.
As I examine this parable in the context of my life, I see that by the grace of God, I am not the first and not the second, but when it comes to the third, being choked by the things of the world, I must be a conscientious gardener. There have been lush seasons of my life when I did not tend to the seed nor cut back the thorns that would threaten it. I let my plot grow wild with indulgence, sin and neglect and ignored the precious seed that the farmer had sown in me.
Without that seed of God’s grace, without His Word to water my spirit, I shrivel and waste. Let me protect His gift, mature in the ways of God, study His Word, flower and seed
The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Luke 8:14
Meeting God at the Park 