when He was alone with His disciples, He would go over everything and give them a full explanation of the truth He was attempting to convey. Since many in His audience were farmers Jesus would often speak in their language for many could grasp the concept of seedtime and harvest. One such story is "The Parable of the Growing Seed" and is found in Mark 4:26-29. Of the four gospels this story is given by Mark alone and is one of the three parables which reveal the mysteries of the kingdom of God in terms of a sowers' work. Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come."
Much can be learned by a careful study of this parable and one of
the foremost truths revealed is that our God is a God of order. One only has to
look at a farmers' field to catch a glimpse of how God does things. First comes
the blade, then the head, and after that the full grain in the head. God is
sequence-minded and He never puts the cart before the horse. In the book of
Genesis we read that the heavens and the earth were created in an orderly
fashion. God had a plan for the first day of creation, then the second day, the
third, and so forth. Consider everything the high priests in the Old Testament
had to do before they entered the Holy of Holies. They couldn't just waltz into
the presence of God unannounced. No, cleansings had to be performed and
offerings had to be made (see Lev. 16). With much fear and trembling this was
done in an orderly fashion and in a God-ordained sequence. If the proper order
was not followed to the letter it would mean the end of their life. A rope was
tied to the ankle of the High Priest so he could be pulled out from behind the
veil in case he didn't follow the prescribed sequence and dropped over dead.
God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33) and to Him sequence is a
serious matter and so should it be for us.
Paul writes, "Let all things be done decently and in
order" (1 Cor. 14:40). People who wake up, get dressed, and go to work do
so in an orderly manner. But the person who wakes up, goes to work, and then
gets dressed is on their way to having a very bad day. Without a doubt, a
proper sequence is most important in everything we do. For example, sex before
marriage is an action taken out of a proper, God-ordained sequence and many
lives have been destroyed as a result thereof. To get your needs met there is a
sequence to be followed. Matt. 6:33 tells us, "But seek first the kingdom
of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."
There is a sequence to be followed when it comes to our relationship with God
and our war against the devil. James 4:7 says, "Therefore submit to God.
resist the devil and he will flee from you." It is foolish to try to
resist the devil without first submitting yourself to God. The seven sons of
Sceva tried to do this and Acts 19:15,16 tells us what happened to them,
"And the evil spirit answered and said, 'Jesus I know, and Paul I know;
but who are you?' Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them,
overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that
house naked and wounded." James goes on to say in vs. 8, "Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and
purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Gods' foremost command is for each of us to love and serve one
another. You were born to love and called to serve and in our relationships
with other people there is a proper order to do things. Paul also used the
language of a farmer when he wrote in 1 Cor. 3:6, "I planted, Apollos
watered, but God gave the increase." The Message Bible says, "We each
carried out our servant assignment. I planted the seed, Apollos watered the
plants, but God made you grow." Again, a prescribed sequence was followed
thus allowing God to give life to the seed that was sown. In Lev. 19 God gave
Moses the laws of social order and said in vs. 18, "You shall not take
vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you
shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord." Jesus quoted this
command to love your neighbor as you love yourself in Mark 12:31 as did Paul in
Rom. 13:9. The proper sequence here is that you must first love yourself before
you can love your neighbor. You must become your own best friend and rejoice in
the person God made you to be. You are a one of a kind original and there is
nobody on this planet quite like you. Because of the cross you have been made
the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21) and Paul says in Rom. 8:16,17a,
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of
God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with
Christ..." The Message Bible says, "This resurrection life you
received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It's adventurously
expectant, greeting God with a childlike 'What's next, Papa?' Gods' Spirit
touches our spirits and confirms who we are: Father and children. And we know
we are going to get what's coming to us - an unbelievable inheritance."
Jesus said a great deal about love but none was more important as
what He said in John 13:34, "A new commandment I give you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another." Before
you can love yourself or your neighbor you must have a divine revelation that
God loves you. Then and only then can the love command be fulfilled in your
life. Jesus prayed in John 17:23b, "that the world may know that You have
sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me." It takes faith to
believe that the Heavenly Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus. Your mind
can not comprehend this much love. Your mind will tell you this is not so
because Jesus never sinned, never rebelled, was never disobedient, and never
displeased the Father. When Jesus was baptized "suddenly a voice came from
heaven, saying, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'"
(Matt. 3:17). Your mind will try to convince you that there is no way the
Father can love you as much as He loves Jesus. But He does. In fact, He loves
you so much that He sent Jesus to die for you (John 3:16). Your mind is limited
in its' capacity to believe such profound truths such as this so don't try to
reason it all out. Just believe it by faith. Faith is a choice and does not
require understanding. You can believe anything the Bible tells you if you
would only choose to do so.
It's not enough to just believe in God and that He exists. You
have to believe that He loves you. James 2:19 says, "You believe that
there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble." The
Message Bible puts it this way, "Do I hear you professing to believe in
the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you
had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good
does it do them? Use your heads!" Faith comes by hearing (Rom. 10:17) so
you need to hear yourself say every day, "God loves me!!" Say it
again, "God loves me!!" Once more, "God loves me!!" You
need to meditate on this day and night. You need to confess it, sing about it,
read about it, and hear good preaching about it. There is no life as exciting
as the victorious life that comes from knowing God loves you. His great love
has delivered you from the guilt of sin and the shame of your failures and
mistakes. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; old
things have passed away; behold, all things become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). God
remembers your sin no more (Jer. 31:34) and if you confess your sins He is
faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1
John 1:9). If you're forgiven, you're forgiven. If you're cleansed, you're
cleansed. There is no condemnation in Christ (Rom.8:1) and we have no fear of
judgment and punishment. Indeed, He is the glory and the lifter of your head
(Ps. 3:3).
John writes, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God,
God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that
God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in
him" (1 John 4:15,16). There is a difference between knowing God loves you
and believing that He does. Divine revelation is needed for you to be fully
developed in knowing the love God has for you. John called himself "that
disciple whom Jesus loved" (John 21:7) and this should be your confession
as well. Who are you? You're the one God loves. God is love and He loves you.
You can't be any more loved than when you are loved by Love. God said in Jer.
31:3, "Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with
lovingkindness I have drawn you." God is drawing you into a love
relationship with Him. He enjoys loving you and he delights in blessing you and
showing you mercy. He is thinking about you today and He's got a plan for your
life (see Jer. 29:11). He'll lead you and guide you in the way you should go
and He'll never leave you or forsake you. He cares so much about you that He
keeps count of the number of hairs on your head. His eyes roam to and fro
across the earth looking for someone to show Himself strong on their behalf.
Jesus said, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know
what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I
heard from My Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I
chose you..." (John 15:15,16a).
Your claim to fame is that you are loved by God and it is an
insult to Him when you don't know and believe that. One day Jesus and His
disciples were in a boat crossing over to the other side of the sea. "And
a great wind-storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was
already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke
Him and said to Him, 'Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?'"
(Mark 4:37,38). These disciples questioned whether or not Jesus loved them and
fear gripped their heart. After rebuking the storm and a great calm fell upon
the water Jesus turned to His disciples and "said to them, 'Why are you so
fearful? How is it that you have ho faith?' And they feared exceedingly..."
(vs. 40,41a). One way to know if you truly believe God loves you is whether or
not there is fear in your life. If you fear you won't be able to pay your bills
this month then you're not fully convinced in your heart that God loves you. If
cancer runs in your family and you fear that one day you'll catch this dreaded
disease, then you are not totally persuaded that God loves you as much as He
loves Jesus. But if you're walking in love you'll have no fear. 1 John 4:18
says, "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because
fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in
love."
Faith works by knowing how much God loves you. Faith works through
love (Gal. 5:6) and this is the key to your victory in life and for overcoming
the trials that come your way. Heb. 11:6 tells us, "But without faith it
is impossible to please God, for he who comes to God must believe that He is
and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." The Message
Bible says, "It's impossible to please God apart from faith. And why?
Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that He exists and
that He cares enough to respond to those who seek Him." Faith is a choice.
You chose to believe in the goodness of God, that He is, and that He will
reward you if you seek Him diligently. David wrote in Ps. 27:13, "I would
have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the
Lord in the land of the living." Faith is activated and works by love and
it's this perfect love that will cast fear out of your life. The word
"cast" means 'to throw out not caring where it lands.' Without fear
in your life you won't be afraid of the devil, people, death, car crashes,
cancer, or of losing your job. Paul wrote in 2 Tim. 1:7, "For God has not
given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
When you're fearless you're a problem to the devil because he can't scare you.
Rom. 8:37 says you "are more than conquerors through Him who loved
us." Gods' love gives you the victory every time. Paul writes, "Now
thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:14).
The closer you walk with God the more He'll manifest His love in
your life. Just walk outside and look around and you'll see the goodness of God
fully displayed. All that you see He made for you. He made the sun and the moon
and all the planets so that the earth could be here and He made the earth so
that you could be here. He made it all for you. That magnificent mountain range
is for you as is that beautiful rainbow and the green grass that grows near
your home. The reason the sun shines by day and the moon by night is for you.
The reason the ocean rolls onto the sand is for you. The stars twinkle at night
and the wind blows and the trees sprout their leaves all for you. The flowers
bloom across the fields and the birds sing their beautiful harmonies for you.
All these things say with a loud voice, "God loves you!!" Every meal
you eat God is saying "I love you!" Every breath you take and every
time your heart beats God is saying "I love you!" Rom. 8:31,32 says,
"What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be
against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" The birth of
Jesus said to the world, "God loves you!!" and if He gave you Jesus
He'll heal your body and give you a sound mind. He'll give you a
nice house to live in and a car, a job, and a family. He'll help you comb your
hair in the morning and He'll help you drive to work each day. He is the living
God "who gives us richly all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17b). All
things are yours because of the great love He has for you. It is because of His
unfailing and never-ending love that you have been crowned with glory and honor
(Ps. 8:5b).
Never doubt the love of God. When you do, you doubt God for He is
love. Every day you're alive He demonstrates His love for you beyond question.
John writes, "In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God
sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him"
(1 John 4:19). He could give no greater gift. He loved us while we were His
enemies and not for what we were doing for Him. He does not have to do one more
thing to prove that He loves you. He's already done it. Paul asks,
"Who shall separate us from the love of God? Shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
(Rom. 8:35). He answers his own question in vs. 38,39, "For I am persuaded
that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor
things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created
thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ
Jesus our Lord." The Message Bible says, "I'm absolutely convinced
that nothing - nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow,
high or low, thinkable or unthinkable - absolutely nothing can get between us
and Gods' love because of the way Jesus our Master has embraced us." As
Jesus hung and bled on the cross the Father was showing you how much He loves
you. The cross is a picture of love, it's what love looks like. Jesus paid the
highest price that could ever be paid. And He did it all for you.
1 John 3:1a says, "Behold what manner of love the Father has
bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!" The word
"behold" means 'look.' Look how much the Father loves you! You are an
amazing, one of a kind, child of the living God! He bought you with a price and
you are most valuable to Him. You are the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:8) and you
can have boldness on the day of judgment because the One sitting on the throne
loves you. You are loved by Love and God is not quiet about how much He loves
you. He wants the whole world to know it. Jesus said in John 17:22,23,
"And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one
just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in
one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as
You have loved Me." In the book of Revelation Jesus told John to
write these profound words to the church in Philadelphia, "Indeed, I will
make these of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but
lie - indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know
that I have loved you' (Rev. 3:9). Imagine that. The enemy will be brought
to your feet and shown that God loves you. The Message Bible states it like
this, "And watch as I take those who call themselves true believers but
are nothing of the kind, pretenders whose true membership is in the club of
Satan - watch as I strip off their pretensions and they're forced to
acknowledge it's you I've loved."
God wants the whole world to know that he is a God of love and
that He loves you. Go public and tell people all that God has done for you.
Love your neighbor and tell them if you draw near to God, he'll draw near to
you. If you seek Him with your whole heart He'll be found by you. If you'll
ask, you'll receive. If you knock, it will be opened unto you. He is a good God
and when you reach out to Him, He will respond back to you. If you believe in
the love and mercy of God you can enjoy your life even knowing you've sinned
and come short of the glory of God. Mercy means you don't get the punishment
you deserve but rather get the blessings you don't deserve. All this and more
because God loves you so much that He gave you Jesus. You are loved by Love and
Gods' grace will pardon and cleanse you and make you whole. 1 John 4:10,11
tells us, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved
us, we also ought to love one another." Herein is the threefold sequence
of fulfilling Gods' command to walk in love. God loves you, you love yourself
and then you love your neighbor. Loving other people is the stamp of approval
that you have been born again and believe that you are loved by Love. John
writes, "We know that we have passed from death to life because we love
the brethren. He who does not love his brother abides in death" (1 John
4:14).
John, the apostle of love, the one who openly confessed that he
was loved by Jesus, tells us in 1 John 3:11, "For this is the message that
you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another." He went on
to say in vs. 16-24 (MSG), "This is how we've come to understand and
experience love: Christ sacrificed His life for us. This is why we ought to
live sacrificially for our fellow believers, and not just be out for ourselves.
If you see some brother or sister in need and have the means to do something
about it but turn a cold shoulder and do nothing, what happens to Gods' love?
it disappears. And you make it disappear. My dear children, let's not just talk
about love; let's practice real love. This is the only way we'll know we're
living truly, living in Gods' reality. It's also the way to shut down
debilitating self-criticism, even when there is something to it. For God is
greater than our worried hearts and knows more about us than we do ourselves.
And friends, once that's taken care of and we're no longer accusing or
condemning ourselves, we're bold and free before God! We're able to stretch our
hands out and receive what we asked for because we're doing what He said, doing
what pleases Him. Again, this is Gods' command: to believe in His personally
named Son, Jesus Christ. He told us to love each other, in line with the
original command. As we keep His commands, we live deeply and surely in Him,
and He lives in us. And this is how we experience His deep and abiding presence
in us: by the Spirit He gave us." Without question, God loves you. You are
loved by Love and by faith you believe that and love Him back. Now, when the
shouting subsides, go out and be a blessing to someone else. It's what He paid
the ultimate price for you to do.
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