LESSONS FROM THE PARABLE OF THE GROWING SEED

KEY TEXT: Mark 4:26-28 (KJV) – “²⁶And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; ²⁷And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. ²⁸For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.”

A man plants a seed during the day and goes to sleep at night, and the seed grows. He has no idea of how it develops. The germinating principle is usually a mystery. Science might have tried to explain it, but it cannot fully explain it. The same thing applies to profiting from your work. You do not fully understand where the profit comes from.

I have seen two people selling groceries at the same prices at the same place. One had a well-organized, beautifully decorated store, while the other had no store, he would sell by the side of the road. The one who sold by the roadside used to sell more than the one with a beautiful store. Both were friendly, and both were nice people. We may try to explain how that happened, but we cannot fully explain because we do not fully understand.

Mark 4:26 (KJV) – “And He said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground.”

When you cast seed into the ground, you take it to the lowest level because you put it beneath the earth, and slowly, it starts growing from beneath the earth to above the ground. Sometimes, it can grow into a huge tree that provides wood, shade, fruits, and medicine, among other benefits. For a seed to grow, you must plant it beneath the ground. You cannot take a seed and put it on top of the leaf of the tallest tree and expect it to grow. This is a powerful object lesson of humility. The way up is always down.

“The parable of the seed reveals that God is at work in nature. The seed has in itself a germinating principle, a principle that God Himself has implanted; yet if left to itself the seed would have no power to spring up. Man has his part to act in promoting the growth of the grain. He must prepare and enrich the soil and cast in the seed. He must till the fields. But there is a point beyond which he can accomplish nothing. No strength or wisdom of man can bring forth from the seed the living plant. Let man put forth his efforts to the utmost limit, he must still depend upon One who has connected the sowing and the reaping by wonderful links of His own omnipotent power.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 63.1, Ellen G. White.

God is at work in nature. Everything happening in this world is under His control. He has a reason for allowing some seeds to grow while others do not. However, He does all these out of love.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 (KJV) – “In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.”

The Bible compels us to grow our seeds all the time. In other words, it tells us not to stop working.

Let us continue sowing good seeds, doing everything to the glory of God. As long as we do all to God’s glory, we can never fail. When a student is studying, every day gathering small bits of information every day, it comes a time that he realizes he has amassed a great deal of knowledge. That applies when you are doing everything.

Commit to studying at least one chapter a day. By the end of one year, you will have learned three hundred and sixty-five chapters. Try to memorize at least one verse of the Bible in a day. By the end of the year, you will have memorized at least one thousand verses. Do body exercises for at least thirty minutes daily; by the end of one year, there will be a change. Learn a new skill for at least thirty minutes daily, and you will be good at it at the end of the year. Good habits, when done daily, will lead to tremendous growth in such a short time.

When a seed grows, you never fully see how the growth happens. When your height or weight increases, you don’t feel that it has increased. You only notice the changes through people’s comments or looking at yourself in the mirror. When you grow spiritually or mentally, you may not realize it until you start approaching and handling situations differently. Do not be discouraged when you work and nothing seems to be happening. A lot is happening in the background, more than in the foreground. What you can’t see is usually more than what you can see.

The seed will surely grow if you have used the correct germinating principles. It may grow slowly, but it will surely grow. Psalm 1:3 (KJV) – “That bringeth forth his fruit in his season.” A seed that is planted right will bring forth fruit in the right season. The best way to plant it is by involving God in its growth process. He is the Creator of everything. Therefore, He is the one who understands best how everything grows. He is the one who created work. Therefore, He understands best how we can make our careers successful. He is the one who created education. Consequently, he understands the best learning and studying principles.

Do your part (with all the abilities God has given you), which is the simple part, and let God do the rest of the work. You do not have to understand everything. Just do what you can do. You may not fully understand how returning a tithe will open the windows of heaven for you; return it. You may not comprehend how giving money in charitable courses will benefit you; give it. You may not entirely fathom how working for six days and resting on one will make you accomplish more than working the whole seven days; keep the Sabbath day holy.

“There is life in the seed, there is power in the soil; but unless an infinite power is exercised day and night, the seed will yield no returns. The showers of rain must be sent to give moisture to the thirsty fields, the sun must impart heat, electricity must be conveyed to the buried seed. The life which the Creator has implanted, He alone can call forth. Every seed grows, every plant develops, by the power of God.” – Christ Object Lessons, Page 63.2, Ellen G. White.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for this lesson on the growing seed. Help me to grow in all good areas of my life. Help me to grow whatever you have put in my hand. In Jesus name, Amen.

Activity

Choose 3 “Seed Areas” of Your Life to Focus On:
Pick areas where you want to grow, for example:

Spiritual (e.g., Bible study, prayer)
Personal development (e.g., learning a skill, fitness)
Work/Ministry/Business (e.g., making calls, organizing, creating)

Example:

Bible study and verse memorization
30-minute daily exercise
Skill development (e.g., learning Excel or practicing public speaking)

Get a Small Notebook or Digital App (like Notion, Evernote, or even a simple Notes app). Call it: “My Seed Journal”

Every Day, Record Three Things:

DATE	WHAT I PLANTED (My effort)	FAITH CONFESSION (Trust in God’s part)	FRUIT SIGHTINGS (Results or reflections)
July 30	Read 1 chapter, practiced guitar, shared encouragement online	“Lord, I trust You to grow what I’ve planted today.”	Someone texted saying my post encouraged them.

Explanation of Columns:

What I Planted: The small faithful actions you took today
Faith Confession: A one-line prayer or declaration of trust that God is growing your seed, even if you can’t see it
Fruit Sightings: Any visible outcome—or simply reflection on peace, growth, or insights

End Each Week with a Reflection Page: