Allow me to explain.
You don't have to ransack heaven to get your answer. You don't have to raise the dead to get your answer. (No need to resurrect and old answer, an old solution.) All you have to do is farm some faith.
People think that faith is some mystic magical force. It's not. It's God's word. And you are the farmer that farms that word.
If you have a problem, you plant a seed of God's word, and grow an answer to that problem.
Mark 4:
26. And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground;
27. And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how.
28. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.
29. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come.
God's kingdom operates by faith. (That is to say, it operates by God's word.) Faith is the mystery of the kingdom (Mark 4:11). And it operates just like farming. This parable gives the life-cycle of faith: the planting, the blade, the ear, the full corn in the ear, and the harvest.
How is the seed of faith planted? You hear the word of God. And who better to hear it from than your own mouth? "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not lack" (Psalm 23:1) "Who his own self bore my lust in his own body on the tree: I am dead to lust. I live to righteousness" (1 Peter 2:24).
This chapter in the book of Mark has several parables, all of which are about faith. Let's look at another one.
Mark 4:
3. Hearken; Behold, there went out a sower to sow:
4. And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up.
5. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth:
6. But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away.
7. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit.
8. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some an hundred.
9. And he said unto them, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10. And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable.
11. And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:
12. That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.
13. And he said unto them, Know ye not this parable? and how then will ye know all parables?
14. The sower soweth the word.
15. And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16. And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness;
17. And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18. And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word,
19. And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20. And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
Jesus explains the life-cycle of faith in a slightly different manner. He looks at the whole garden. But the basics are still the same. The Word is planted, the blade sprouts, it grows to maturity, then it grows the fruit, and can be harvested. But in this parable, he tells how to tend your faith garden. He gives you two green thumbs up.
When a person hears the Word, and doesn't understand it, the devil steals it from him immediately: "Well, that makes no sense to me! Sounds like it's of the devil, anyway." Faith operates by the words you say, and when you say something similar to the above, you throw away the word of God.
When the word sprouts into a growing faith, it brings joy. Therefore, joy is the sign of a healthy faith. If you lose your joy over it, your faith plant is getting sick, and dying. Joy is the presence of hope, and you need to hold this rejoicing of the hope unwavering until the harvest (Hebrews 3:6). The devil immediately attacks this joy, this hope.
Over time, the word grows into a mature plant. In the first parable we looked at, the one about the farmer, Jesus specifically pointed out that it takes time for faith to grow. "..Sleep, and rise night and day." This is a common mistake people make about faith. They plant the seed, then immediately try to harvest it. Not only does it take time for faith to grow, but in the parable of the sower, Jesus said it might not even grow up if you don't keep your garden weeded.
The cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lust of other things choke the word, and keep it from bearing fruit. Weeds.
What are the cares of this life? It's anything that draws your heart away from speaking faith in the word of God (Luke 18:1,7). It could be anything. TV. Dinner with friends. The kid's soccer. (If they are keeping you too busy to solidly exercise your faith, then they are too busy to be exercising their faith, as well. Just what are you teaching them? Food for thought.)
Does this mean you should become antisocial? No. It does mean you need to establish boundaries, though. Priorities. God himself will interject distractions upon you in order to justify your faith (Luke 12:36-37). When he knocks, you must drop everything, and answer immediately. But that is not what Jesus is talking about in the parable of the sower. The devil will try to get you so busy that you neglect the word, you neglect your faith speaking. Unclutter your life if you want your faith to reach maturity.
The deceitfulness of riches is the carrot that covetousness tries to catch. There should be no money hunger in your heart. You cannot serve God and mammon (success). If you drool when you hear of a chance to make money, riches have deceived your heart.
The lust of other things is just that. But it gives us a big clue as to just what it is the word feeds off of: the lust of your heart for the word. If you lose your desire for the word, your faith will falter and die. Faith grows to meet the hunger of your heart, not the need of your circumstance. If you stop lusting for the word, then it has met your need, and stops growing. Stir up that hunger, that desire, that lust for God's answer!
(Ah! But don't stir up the lust for other things thinking you are stirring up your faith! People make this mistake. "I'm going to believe God's word for a Lamborghini," when the car they have is just fine. Lust for God's word - "The Lord is my Shepherd, I never lack" - or lust for other things? James 4:3 will give you your answer one way or the other.)
The good ground is that which let's God's word bear fruit. God's word creates what you need just as surely as it created the heavens and the earth.
Let me close with one final thought from Mark 4. You may have pressing needs, needs that can't wait for a seed to grow up in a month or two. What do you do then? Well, I have good news for you.
Mark 4:
24. And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
25. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.
The measure you use. Desperate times call for a desperate measure. Faith can grow pretty fast if it needs to. The choice is really yours. How strong and desperate is your faith? Can you believe for a major miracle? Or is your heart stony ground that is going to cave in at the first sign of trouble? Think humbly and realistically (Romans 12:3). If you start your faith venture, then become a hath not, the end is worse than the beginning.
God has an answer for you. You already have it. You already have all you need to meet all your needs. You do not need to go up to heaven to get your answer. You do not need heaven to give you something to get your answer. Nor do you need to bring something to you from across the sea, that is to say from somewhere outside of your reach. "If I only had a job that paid more than my skill set is worth!" God's Word is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart. Start believing it with all your heart, and speaking it with all your might. Everything you need, you already have. (Deuteronomy 30:11-16, Romans 10:6-10)
So light your candle of faith, and keep it lit until you see what it was you lit the candle for in the first place (Mark 4:21). Get the verses you are going to stand on, and plant them. God's word will create your answer for you. It's not somewhere out there. It's in your mouth, and in your heart, just waiting to be grown into a faith that God can answer.
And when the answer comes, harvest it! Don't leave your crop standing in the field. It may not look like what you thought. It may be outside your comfort zone. But a way will be made for you. Take it!
Copyright © 2008 Burley Ward. All rights reserved
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