#DailyDevotion That The Kingdom Grows Is Not Up To Us
Mark 4:26[Jesus] said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. 27 He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. 28 The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. 29 But when the grain is ripe, at once he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
Maybe we can explain the process better today, but I don’t know if we still don’t know how we get these seeds to grow into full plants. We can do things to help them germinate or germinate with better rates. But I still don’t know how. Maybe you do. Most certainly they didn’t in Jesus’ day. But Jesus isn’t really talking about seed. He is talking about the kingdom of God and how it grows.
The kingdom of God spreads as the word about what Jesus has done for us spreads. St. Paul says, Rom 10:17 “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” Jesus’ kingdom doesn’t come by the sword but by his word being spoken. Isaiah has spoken, Isa 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, (11) so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
We often fear the kingdom of God isn’t growing these days. Well what we are really fearing is our congregation isn’t growing or our Church body isn’t growing. But know this, God’s kingdom is growing even if it isn’t growing at our place. It is growing elsewhere. God’s word does not go out without accomplishing the purpose for which it is sent. Sometimes it is sent to convict people of their sins. Sometimes it is sent to create faith and save people from their sins. But it will accomplish what God intends.
So if we are fearing it isn’t growing among us perhaps we ought to pray more earnestly the second petition of the Lord’s Pray, Thy kingdom come. Our catechism teaches, “The kingdom of God comes indeed without our prayer, of itself; but we pray in this petition that it may come unto us also.” Our confession also teaches us, “That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear…” Ultimately it is up to God when and where his kingdom will grow and where it will decline. It is not up to human machinations. Yet, God uses us to make sure the ministry takes place. Whether we witness our faith to someone else or use our resources to make sure the ministry is taking place where we are, God does use us as instruments, means if you will, to get the word of Christ out in our place. Yet the growth is still up to God. We wonder why is it grown there and not here. We rarely wonder why it’s growing here and not there. Then we just enjoy it. Never the less, the kingdom of God is growing. Eventually it will produce the head and then there will be the harvest. Christ will return. His holy angels shall reap up the tares and burn them in fire and then he will gather his people into kingdom made visible.
Heavenly Father, continually give us your word and grow your kingdom among us in throughout the world and preserve us always in that kingdom that we would be part of that harvest. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.