Mark 4:26-34
26 He said,"This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land
27 and would sleep and rise night and day and the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.
28 Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.
29 And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has come."
30 He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable can we use for it?
31 It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.
32 But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade."
33 With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.
34 Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.
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To me, these parables describe both the collective growth of the Body of Christ, and the individual growth of faith inside each one of us. On an individual level, that makes me think about how well my plant is growing. Is it growing? Am I able to look back and see the plant grow over time? What evidence can I see of that?
Am I taking the time to feed this plant? It won't grow unless I seek out food for it, and the the only food is Christ. He is the only thing that can feed our souls. Nothing else satisfies. Growth depends entirely on submitting to Him and giving Him reign over my life.
That submission is not done with words alone, or beliefs alone. I can say "I submit" all I want, but nothing happens until I actually do it. Until I choose to give up time in the evening watching TV, and replace it with time of prayer and meditation. Until I begin each and every day with prayer. Until I spend time each day examining my conscience. Until I start looking at situations that come up during the day, and consciously decide to be a servant as I go through my daily tasks.
At some point, the rubber has to meet the road.
